STRINGS OF MYTH
Myth, memory and music intertwine in The Unbroken Thread, a new multidisciplinary work from Arafura Music Collective that invites audiences into a musical labyrinth of myth, identity and culture.
WORDS BROOKE GIBBS
IMAGE PAZ TASSONE
PRESENTED DURING GLENTI month, the performance draws on Greek mythology, philosophy and oral histories to create an experience that feels both ancient and strikingly contemporary. Through live music, storytelling and movement, audiences are guided through a series of sonic chambers, each exploring ideas of heritage, resilience and belonging.
Curated by Composer Dr Peggy Polias in collaboration with Creative Director Claire Kilgariff, the program has been shaped through conversations around Kalymnian heritage and the enduring role of myth in shaping collective identity. Rather than treating mythology as something distant or static, The Unbroken Thread reimagines these stories as living, breathing forces that continue to shape contemporary culture.
The work journeys across centuries and styles. Claude Debussy’s Syrinx opens one of the production’s earliest pathways, while the music of Georg Philipp Telemann draws audiences deeper into the ritual and sonic archaeology of the Mediterranean world. Contemporary works then illuminate the labyrinth from within, connecting ancient ideas to modern voices and experiences.
As a curator, Polias brings a concept-driven, philosophically-attuned approach, shaping programs that invite audiences into deeper thematic journeys.
“We thought about different things like religion and spirituality,” says Polias.
“We wrote the work in there that kind of explores that and just listening widely and keeping our ear to the ground and knowing that sort of surround locally.”
A centrepiece of the performance is Polias’ Melissa, a work exploring ritual, inner worlds and feminine agency. The production also features Thy Mystical Names by young Australian composer Klearhos Murphy, whose work reaches toward the mystical traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy.
Elsewhere, guitar works by Greek composers Minas Borboudakis and Manos Hadjidakis bring warmth, lyricism and modern Hellenic identity into the mix, grounding the production in both tradition and evolution.
Before the central performance begins, members of Darwin’s Greek community perform Mihanikos, the Kalymnian sponge-diver’s dance, honouring the island’s deep-sea diving history and acts as a powerful embodiment of cultural memory.
At the heart of the program sits the world premiere of The Water Bearer, a new NT work by Polias honouring Eleni, a Kalymnian water bearer, as well as grandmothers and women across Darwin’s Greek community. It’s a tribute to strength, migration, memory and the threads that continue to connect generations across oceans and time.
“This work came out of conversations about the Claypot Water Bearer statue located in the Smith Street Mall,” says Polias.
“I think of it as an artistic image, but also as someone’s close, personal connection. I think that’s really special.”
In The Unbroken Thread, music becomes more than performance – it becomes inheritance, ritual and remembrance.
The Unbroken Thread
WHEN SAT 13 JUN | 3.30-5PM
AT GRAY COMMUNITY HALL
COST FREE - $25
WHEN SUN 14 JUNE | 4.15-6.15PM
AT DARWIN SUPREME COURT
COST FREE - $40
INFO arafuramusiccollective.org.au
