ILLUMINATING CULTURE
A new iteration of Parrtjima illuminates the beauty of Aboriginal culture, artwork, music, languages, and their special ability to carry a rich understanding of connection.
WORDS ROSIE WILD
DUSK DESCENDS IN the desert. People wind their way on buses and trails towards the Alice Springs Desert Park, catching glimpses of lights dancing across the range and sky. Getting closer, a soundscape emerges, blending music, storytelling, and language. Getting even closer, festoon and lanterns light the way in.
Once inside, an adventure of wonder awaits. There’s a bustling courtyard of food and markets. There’s a dynamic program of music, workshops, demonstrations, and talks. And there are pathways to guide you on a journey through large installations of art and light.
This is Parrtjima, a free festival for all ages that runs across 10 ambient nights, held at the Desert Park in the Arrernte estates of Mparntwe, Antulye, and Irlpme, also known as Alice Springs.
Parrtjima showcases the vibrancy of artwork, language, music, and stories with the aim of shining a light on rich layers of connection.
“For understanding to grow between the diverse groups of our community, there’s got to be some medium that everyone can share and enjoy. We want to provide that,” says Tourism and Events NT Advisory Board Chairperson, Paul Ah Chee.
“Families really love the event. It’s a big space. It’s very friendly. It’s a wonderful way to spend evenings, hearing music, seeing the light show, going to talks and workshops, and walking around the installations.”
Parrtjima’s large installations celebrate ways of knowing and seeing that have been passed through generations for millennia. They highlight the ways art and culture adapt, evolve and experiment with form, materials, and style, connecting deep time to the contemporary.
This year’s theme is ‘Language’, which touches on more than words. Language shapes how we understand the connections between things. It describes flows, relationships, exchanges – not just between people, but between places, water, creatures, and trade. The installations, workshops and demonstrations at Parrtjima convey this deep understanding of language.
Art by multi-award-winning Corban Clause Williams from Martumili Artists is translated into The Language of Soaks. An installation with the glowing designs of Darrell Sibosado, a Bard man with deep connection to Goolarrgon Country in the Kimberley, acknowledges ancient trade routes and enduring connections between Western and Central Australia.
The Language of Wati Ngintaka (Perentie Lizard Man) honours the lineage of ancestral knowledge held by Reggie Uluru, one of the most senior living custodians and artists from Mutitjulu.
The re-imagined The Language of Textiles celebrates collaborative work from artists from Yarrenyty Arltere, Ikuntji, Bindi Mwerre Anthurre, and Papunya Tjupi Arts.
Grounded returns, transforming the sand beneath your feet into giant projections of glowing art. And new to the program is an outdoor Dome, which shares culture through the language of film and animation. “It’s pretty special for Arrernte Country to be hosting these art forms from different areas. There’s a real appreciation of that,” says Ah Chee.
“And because it is held on Arrernte country, Parrtjima is really strong on honouring Arrernte culture, Arrernte language, on Arrernte soil.”
The activation, Arrernte Voices, invites audiences to interact with programmed light effects and learn Arrernte words they can carry with them beyond the festival. Amongst the free workshop and demonstration program, Say it in Arrernte! playfully introduces children to the Arrernte language, and sand painting workshops share the language of markings in the sand.
“To build connection and respect, you don’t have to be absolutely fluent in a language. Just taking the opportunity to learn a few words and ideas is a mark of respect, honour, and acceptance,” Ah Chee says.
As well as generating respect and acceptance, language gives people a voice. Parrtjima’s program of music and talks amplifies First Nations voices.
“There are a lot of issues affecting us … At Parrtjima, there’s opportunities to hear talks and discussions around different themes that impact on Aboriginal society,” says Ah Chee.
“And in the music program, no one style or age group owns the stage. Each person has a story, and that story wants a voice. Music is the opportunity to project that voice and be unapologetic about it.”
The free live music program has an exceptional line up of highly acclaimed First Nations artists including Electric Fields, 3%, Drifting Clouds, Emma Donovan, and BARKAA. Local artists Paul and Roland Ah Chee, Kirra Voller, Alice Kings, Damien Armstrong, and Sneaky Train also take the stage.
Surrounded by lights and with the backdrop of the stunning ranges of Arrernte country, the music program itself is worth coming back night after night for.
This year, there’s the option to add curated ticketed experiences that take you beyond the festival site. Highlights include the Merne Mwerre Bushfood Experience, rare watercolour masterclasses with artists from Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands Art Centre, and the special Desert at Dusk experience inside Desert Park.
“Parrtjima showcases the vibrancy, wonder and connectivity of language, artwork and stories,” says Ah Chee.
“These show resilience and provide hope. They’re something people can look at and think, ‘Ah, this is special.’ We hope that when people see that, they will think ‘How do we maintain that? How do we grow that? What’s our responsibility to it? How do we keep everything full of light?’
“Everybody benefits when we share a bit of light.”
Parrtjima
WHEN FRI 10 – SUN 19 APR
AT MPARNTWE/ALICE SPRINGS
COST FREE - $240
INFO parrtjimaaustralia.com.au
Inset: Emma Donovan
