Dr Laura Brearley
Last week, members of Boomulele, the StreetSounds Street Band from Morwell, took part in a Ceremony at the Latrobe Regional Arts Gallery to mark the end of the Sounds of Country exhibition and to celebrate the community of Aboriginal artists within it. The Sounds of Country exhibition explored the Aboriginal concept of Deep Listening, revealing the relationship the Aboriginal artists have to the land and to the natural world.
The Sounds of Country Ceremony was conducted as a Deep Listening Circle. About 45 people participated in the event which included local Aboriginal artists, community members, guests from the Wulgunggo Ngalu Learning Place, the Torch Project and staff from local organisations and educational institutions. The oldest participant was 89 and the youngest was 10.
It was the first time the Boomulele Ukulele and Percussion Group had played in public and they did a marvellous job, performing strongly and including everyone. Boomulele is one of ten Street Bands within the Community Music Victoria’s StreetSounds project, each of which is making a unique contribution to cultural community development within its region.
Before the Ceremony, Lyndal Chambers and Brian (Strat) Strating led a rehearsal with Boomulele and other community members, creating a sense of fun and inclusivity. Ronald Edwards, a Traditional Custodian then welcomed people to his Country and Boomulele led everyone in a Gunaikurnai Acknowledgment Song. During the Ceremony, artists and community members shared stories about their creative practice and a dancer from Wulgunggo Ngalu spontaneously performed a Creation Dance around Ronald Edwards’ painting which lay in the centre of the Circle. At the end of the Ceremony, Boomulele performed ‘Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)’ and it raised the roof.
One of the participants in the Circle was Jeannie Haughton, a local playwright. This is how she described her experience of being part of the Sounds of Country Ceremony:
I feel
the embrace
of a safe place
it wraps me in welcome
I listen
heartfelt words
and pictures leave
traces and tracks in the air
breathe deeply
a long slow outbreath
letting go of everything
but the now
stories
the unspoken
reading wisdom in the lines
on faces
voices from the strong
the fragile cradled
all joining in song, and dance
connecting as one
The combination of music, dance, art and the exchange of stories at the Sounds of Country ceremony led to a strong feeling of community and connection in the room. It was a living example of Deep Listening, a way of listening which goes well beyond what we can hear with our ears. To listen deeply, we need to take time to engage and to create space in which genuine contact can be made.
Boomulele and the SteeetSounds project are making a significant contribution to creating spaces like these across the State.
Feature image: Ronald Edwards: Telling stories on Gunai Country, (detail)2016 acrylic on canvas
For more information about the StreetSounds project, go to https://cmvic.org.au/pages/streetsounds
