iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Hello

I have been presenting Mayan Glyphic Writing in 2007's edition of Teoule-sur-Mer's FESTIVAL DE L'ECRITURE (south of France).
This Festival emphacises the writing ITSELF and not necessarily the meaning behind it... It is not a Book Festival.
Many Calligraph Masters from Occidental, Middle-East, Oriental and North-African countries are present each year.

I proposed to the organizers to include Aboriginal "writing" next year.
That non-conventional (for Occidental people) but very beautiful and lively way of "writing" through dances, music, bodypainting, bark&canvas painting...
This incredible type of "writing" that managed to pass Tjukurrpa legends through many centuries.

The organizers seemed quite astonished and seduced when I told them a little bit about the long and rich Aboriginal story.
They are willing to organise a cultural event around Aboriginal "way of communication" (painting, dance...) next year (may/june 2008).
Still nothing has been fixed yet, I'm here to gather information in view to organise that event... If anybody 'round here know some Aboriginal cultural groups that could tour in Europe at this period it would be great !

Thanks for letting me know if you have any informations that could help me in my quest !

G'day !

F6co Ahaw

Help me understand your thesis a bit more, Ahaw- are you trying to prove that the visual arts have a 'language' of their own separate from the spoken word?

Hi Jason !

Err... well it is not a thesis and I am not trying to prove anything...
I may have expressed myself rather badly... I'll try again !


As far as I know, some song patterns, wether including lyrics or not, do "tell a story", don't they ?
Same for some dance movements (choregraphy?).
They are often linked together... Song, dance, yidaki+bilma, bodypaint.
The words spoken by the songman are not necessarily needed to understand the meaning of the tale.
In that way, I do consider that these art forms fulfill the same goal as "writting" itself... It perpetrates a tale, a life lesson, a Dreamtime story.
They are the vehicle that pass a message through.

Bark or Canvas Paintings also fulfill the same goal.
They communicate stories with many degres of interpretation, just like our books ! And they have this more in common to "writting" that they are less ephemeral than dances or music.
The "codes" used in paintings from same ethnical groups apparent to grammar in a way... which is another link to a non-spoken, non-written langage.

At least this is how I see Aboriginal Art... and I may be wrong...

Anyway, I am not trying to prove something, I am just looking for contacts. Aboriginal cultural groups (dancers, musicians and/or painters) who may travel to France and share their Art and Knowledge in this festival of the Writting.
If anyone has some clues, hints, links, anything to share with me I would be very grateful.
If on another hand you think that I am way off, please tell me in which direction I should better look ! I am not a specialist of Aboriginal Art... only a passionate person !

PS > when I'm talking about painting, I do not focus specially on Yolngu "X-ray" style... Central Oz "Dot Painting" style or other are also welcome !
Same for music, though I only "know" WAL and NEAL styles...

Thanx !

Oh OK... I read your message in a different way now that I look at it again...
Where you ironic ? Like... asking me if I was trying to prove something obvious ?
Well, indeed what I am saying about visual and musical Arts (and dance) is obvious in a way.
But I think that the construction of these arts is a lot more elaborate in societies that did not develop writing.
Because people ask more from them, rely more on them.
More than just entertainment.

Of course, I could propose African dancers, or Tuvan singers or Indian painters for this festival.
Their Art must be as rich as Aboriginal one, in their own way.
But beyond all esthetic considerations, the strenth of the Aboriginal Art is factual > 60.000 years of direct lineage !
This means that they have managed to pass on messages over centuries in far more efficient ways than writing did (even if writing is not that old yet... and even if it is not only their Art but also their beliefs and their social structure and geographical context which are responsible for this record).

Did I reply to your question ?

No ? Nobody has any idea of who I should contact and where ?

hi Ahaw, try to contact Benjamin from lyon on the french forum (FD!!), he have many painting come from NT on www.territoryessence.com.

demande lui et propose lui ton projet, s'il n'expose pas ses peintures ailleurs il sera intersseé je pense (je ne lui en ai pas parlé).

Or if you're going to the french festival ask to Xavier (stade on francedidgeridoo) ou Benjamin (le cuisto en chef du festival).

Sorry to speak french on this forum but my english is so bad....

Yes, merci Rudy !
Benji has been contacted
We'll keep in touch after Airvault's Didj festival.

Nobody else can help ?

Hey, just fell back on my old thread while looking for some info' concerning didjeridu ochre painting !

Well, 2008's edition of this Festival has been cancelled.
Though in the meantime, I heard that two passionate collectionners of Central Desert paintings live in the same town as I do (Antibes) !
They exposed more than 60 canvas last year in Nice's Modern Art Museum.
And now, they are exposing another few dizains of different ones (yet similar) in Antibes' mediatheque (library).
We met and had a nice talk about Australia, Aboriginals and even Didjeridu.
Very kind and open persons.
Told them about my intension of exhibiting Aboriginal Arts to Theoules' Writting Festival and they are ready to do so !!!

Their collection include canvas from Minnie Pwerle, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri and many others.

Can't wait 2009's edition !

Sounds interesting Francis, this is the same idea you had last time when we discussed this? I could help with bringing an Indigenous Australian group to France, let me know more.

Guan

Just phoned the organisator of the festival and she is thrilled to figure all this up !
She even proposed me to do an exhibition earlier in the townhall's "salle des fêtes".
Anyway, she'll contact me back soon and tell me exactly what is the townhall up to.

Tell me more about this Indigenous group you could contact, I'll drop a word to her next time we meet.
Though I cannot promise anything as I'm not in charge of the budget of course

++
F6co

Err... yes I guess.

Hey there,
Guan and/or the art centre here in Yirrkala could provide hundreds of Aboriginal artists, musicians and dancers who would love to go to France, and we're asked constantly if there are any Yolngu who will just happen to be in Europe to perform at festivals. But with the great expense of travel in particular, nobody ever finds the money to make it happen.

So I'll say here what I've said privately to lots of people. What we need is someone in Europe to take on the project of organising a tour. As no one festival organiser can afford to fly a group over, somebody has to rally the troops and get the funding together for a financially viable tour.

It doesn't cover art and story much, but you can see the 'Miwatj Dancers Demo' at www.youtube.com/themulkaproject. Djakapurra on there is one of the same guys Guan took to Korea. The thing that's cool about people up here where culture is still strong is that anybody and everybody can do it. Djakapurra and myself quickly assembled the large group in the nighttime festival performance/ceremony in that demo out of friends, family and staff, and this group was able to deliver yidaki and weaving workshops and song and dance performances. Wouldn't be hard to find two painters who could also serve as singers & dancers. It's really not a problem at all for us to put together a great group. The only problem is the expense of flying them all the way from Arnhem Land!

Hi Randin,

Thanks for your answer.
The flying cost sure is a problem.
I do not personaly have large enough shoulders to organise a group tour around France or Europe, I am only starting to meet local organisators and I do not know if the French "civil servant" (?) way of behaving has had some echoes on the other side of the earth, but these people are REALLY hard to move !!! (hope that sentence is understandable ?)
Though I do not know how things may evolve with the two local Art collectors... They have more political power than I do and much more experience too.
Here in France some people are also talking about creating a French Didjeridu Federation that may help... But nothing concrete yet, may take years or decades !

Anyway, if you tell me that it is no problem to gather a few artists to come around if the trip + art session is paid, I can tell that to Theoule's townhall and see what they say.
They already accomodate all the other artists, so it would "only" concern the flight's price.

I'll give some feed back here concerning this festival anyway !

Cheers !

F6co

By the way... Ozzies coming up the French Riviera won't be too destabilised : we've also got eucalyptus trees, red rock mountains and sea and sunshine !
We're only missing 'roos and the right kind of termites !!!