Arts company Big hART has co-created an immersive event series called Bulla Midhong, which aims to bring traditional stories, songs and dances to life in Yuin country in New South Wales. The events feature digital technology such as animations, video projections and sound recordings, combined with ancient knowledge about the area and traditional practices. The three events, held at Eden, Wallaga Lake and Nowra, link totems with locations, such as the humpback whale in Eden, the black duck at Wallaga Lake and the black cockatoo in Nowra. The project was created with artists, students and cultural educators. Big hART has a 30-year history of working with marginalised communities.
As night falls at Cocora Beach on Eden’s Twofold Bay/Talamalara, the senses heighten.
The rhythmic sound of waves rising and collapsing builds in intensity. The drone of a didgeridoo and a soundscape of voices speaking traditional place names seems to emanate from the forest.
The smell of a smoking fire winds its way down the path to a ceremonial Bunaan ring, lit by trees that have come alive with projections.
It is the first in a series of three events called Bulla Midhong, co-created by arts company Big hART, artists, cultural educators, and students from the New South Wales’ Far South Coast, to bring Yuin country alive with traditional stories, songs and dances.
As she guides small groups of people along the path to the Bunaan ring, a circular ceremonial space on the ground, 13-year-old Tahlia Veness is excited and a little nervous.
“I’m kind of proud, to see all my family around me,” she says.
“And I’m nervous because there’s going to be heaps of people watching, and this is one of the biggest things we’ve ever done.”
Bulla Midhong assistant director Lincoln Smith has been working with the community for the last 18 months to create the immersive events on country at Eden, Wallaga Lake and Nowra.
“We really hope that it sparks a curiosity in the audience to learn more about where they live, and the languages and stories of this place,” Mr Smith says.
Locations linked with totems
The events took shape in a series of workshops with school students that brought together digital technology — animations, video projections and sound recordings — with ancient knowledge about country and traditional practices.
Yuin woman Ashweeni Mason is the program facilitator and cultural mentor for the project.
“We’ve linked the three locations with totems. In Eden it’s the humpback whale, the black duck at Wallaga Lake, and the black cockatoo in Nowra,” she says.
“They’re also connected by three very special mountains.
“Because we’re all Yuin people, it just links us all together, so it’s very special.”
Big hART has a 30-year history of working with often marginalised communities to bring unique stories to a mainstream audience.
The Bulla Midhong project was co-created by Big hART, students, artists and cultural educators.
The Bulla Midhong events aim to connect audiences with traditional stories, songs, and dances of the Yuin people. The events are co-created by arts company Big hART, cultural educators, artists, and students from the New South Wales’ Far South Coast.
The series of three events, held at Eden, Wallaga Lake, and Nowra, utilize digital technology, such as animations, video projections, and sound recordings, to bring ancient knowledge about country and traditional practices to life.
At the first event, held at Cocora Beach on Eden’s Twofold Bay/Talamalara, attendees were guided along a path to a ceremonial Bunaan ring, where a circular ceremonial space on the ground was lit by trees that had come alive with projections. The audience was treated to traditional stories, songs, and dances performed by the Yuin people.
The Bulla Midhong events are linked with totems, with Eden being linked to the humpback whale, Wallaga Lake to the black duck, and Nowra to the black cockatoo. These totems are also connected by three very special mountains, which link the Yuin people together.
The events were co-created by Big hART, students, artists, and cultural educators, with the aim of bringing unique stories to a mainstream audience. The Bulla Midhong events are designed to spark curiosity in the audience to learn more about where they live, and the languages and stories of the place.
The Bulla Midhong events are a celebration of the Yuin people’s traditional stories, songs, and dances, and aim to connect audiences with ancient knowledge about country and traditional practices.