Image by Priya Srinivasan
Directed by Priya Srinivasan (Tamil)
Co-Devised by Raymond Blanco (Yadhaigana, Mer; Erub, Zenadth Kes), Waangenga Blanco (Pajinka Wik and Meriam Mer), Alfira O'Sullivan (Acehnese/Australian), Murtala (Acehnese)
Produced by BlakDance
Commissioned by Asia TOPA and Bunjil Place
About the Work
Bunyi, Bunyi Bumi Sounds of the Earth asks what is possible when we listen deeply to the Earth Mother and explores the dire consequences when we do not.
What happens
when people don’t pay attention
when fish wash up on the shore
when people don’t run to safety
when the Earth Mother speaks softly
when a supreme being who has no mouth unleashes his fury on those who keep violating the Earth
when women have to multitask between domestic, motherly and artistic labour
when people’s songlines are ruptured, yet they find ways to gain access to the songs to recover their fragmented selves
when men find a way to heal each other by harmonising
When very different people syncopate to each other and to the Earth Mother. What is possible to heal and recover?
An immersive performance, the work explores these questions using Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islands and Acehnese stories woven from ancient songlines, mythological pasts, and anticolonial perspectives. Directors Priya Srinivasan (Tamil), Raymond Blanco (Yadhaigana and Mer; Erub, Zenadth Kes) and Waangenga Blanco (Pajinka Wik and Meriam Mer), together with Achenese knowledge and songkeepers Murtala and Alfira O’Sullivan (Acehnese/Australian) create a ground-breaking work incorporating dance, music, movement, text and body percussion.
Images from creative development January 2024, Dandenong
Bunyi Bunyi Bumi is produced by BlakDance, with commissioning support from Asia TOPA Festival and Bunjil Place.