Wild Women of the North In song
Wild women of the north will have their stories immortalised in song by some of the Top End’s best female musicians.
By Tamara Howie
It’s all part of muso Tracey Bunn’s residency at the NT Archives, where she will delve into the oral histories collection, and potentially record some new stories of inspiring women.
“‘Wild women’ can be interpreted in many different ways – women that are a little crazy, or who have stepped into male roles, women who have gone a little left of centre of what’s expected of them,” Bunn says.
“It may not be a physical woman – there’s Cyclone Tracy, the Katherine River, and the legend of the Poinciana Woman – events or legends that are centred around women or feminine names that have had a huge impact on people's lives, may also inspire song.”
There are also contemporary women that Bunn has heard whisperings of, whom she hopes to document if their stories are not in the archives.
“The archives have agreed to bring people in to record their histories,” she says.
“There are heaps of women in the community who have played a rather large role in shaping this place, just by being a bit out there.”
As part of the residency Bunn will invite six female singer/songwriters to share their stories and song writing techniques in performance workshops over the next two months.
“We’ll do a pass-the-guitar type performance and we’ll play a song and talk about where the idea came from and how the process came about,” Bunn says.
“It’s an amazing experience for an audience to have two songwriters presenting their songs and talking quite intimately about the process and their experiences.
“It ends up being a bit of a journey and I’m really excited about it.”
The workshops will be a great insight for beginner songwriters, and even those who consider themselves un-musical, who are simply curious about the mystery of song writing.
“It would be great if people came with ideas, or poems, or songs, or just with a sense of open-mindedness to enjoy the performances.”
The six songs Bunn will write over the course of her residency will be performed at a concert in the Archives in April, featuring the female artists involved in the workshops. The songs will be recorded post residency.
BRIDEY ROSE | TUE 5 MAR | 5.30PM
SERINA PECH | TUE 12 MAR | 5.30PM
LILLA WELLINGTON | TUE 19 MAR | 5.30PM
NT ARCHIVES | FREE | BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL | facebook.com/wildwomeninsong
