Institutional, Industry, Research and Community Partnerships
- Representatives from the Berndt Museum visited in August to consult about future directions with Yolngu leadership, using the Mulka ‘Saltwater Auditorium’ to present a film about the museum and its plans. Mulka employee Dindirrk Mununggurr and art centre staff Araluen Maymuru and Andrew Blake travelled to the museum in Perth to view the crayon drawings by Yolngu elders collected by Professor Ronald M. Berndt in 1946-7 and to plan the repatriation of high quality digitised images as well as possible projects with these images. Mulka co-director Raymattja Marika and CDEP staff Nuwaniny Burarrwanga and Dhangdhang Mununggurr have been writing up documentation on a first set of 20 images.
 |
|
 |
| Dindirrk and Araluen with their ancestors’ crayon drawings and Berndt Museum director Dr. John Stanton. |
- Marcia Langton and Susan Lowish from University of Melbourne visited to work with Mulka directors Wukun Wanambi and the late Dr. R. Marika and others to research the Woodward Collection of barks and other objects significant to the 1970’s land rights struggles, currently housed at the Ian Potter Museum.
- Partnership with Dhimurru Land Management on production. Dhimurru has deposited several years worth of video footage shot by rangers for archiving and sourcing footage. Shots of a buffalo from this were used in Gatapangawuy Dhawu, part of Nyapanyapa Yunpingu and the Mulka Project's 2008 Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Work Prize winning installation at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. Senior Sea Ranger Balupalu Yunupingu assisted us and leaders from Dhalinybuy homeland with the filming of Two Brothers at Galarra along the Cato River. Other plans for films and documentation projects are in the works.
- Martin Thomas from the University of Sydney visited in September to work with Mulka staff and facilities to research objects and film in the Australian Museum collection, primarily from the 1948 Australian-American Expedition to Arnhem Land, as well as some items from founding Yirrkala missionary Wilbur Chaseling and paintings and recordings of stories made by Wandjuk Marika in the 1970’s. Mulka co-director Wukun Wanambi travelled to Sydney in October to view the collection in person and continue plans for further research and repatriation. Museum staff are visiting to deliver some materials and consult further in December.
 |
|
 |
| Nuwaniny and Dindirrk in the field with Martin Thomas, filming an interview with Gulumbu and Ranydjupi Yunupingu about objects from the Australian Museum's collection, displayed on a laptop and LCD monitor. |
- Partnership arrangement with Northern Territory Libraries for secure hard drive backup storage and ‘Our Story’ digital library software, network set up assistance, and training in scanning and library documentation.
- Provided consultation for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney about artists and stories related to the Arnott’s collection of bark paintings. The catalogue will include our commentary and an essay by Mulka co-director Raymattja Marika.
- Partnership with Yothu Yindi Foundation. They have organised the film workshops and some equipment, as well as access to the Yirrnga recording studio near Gunyangara’. We have assisted with documentation of their new traditional healing initiative The Healing Place and will have several joint projects including CD recording and production.
- Consultation with Film Australia over appropriate use of images for forthcoming DVD box set release of the Yirrkala Film Project.
- Melbourne University art history PhD candidate Elina Spilia worked with Mulka facilities and staff in the course of her 6 week research period and provided training for staff in documentation practices.
- Planned exchange of film projects with Ramingining community – they have sent 3 finished DVDs, we will send ours when ready.
|
