occupation studies: ngayanhurra bayarral Birrarung 2026

Synopsis

In this work, the artists assert the fatal link between genocide and ecocide, exposing the colonial logic of 'taming', inherent in European intervention. Video footage and field recordings of the Birrarung are layered with shredded snippets of a score composed in the 1800s, inspired by the river. By contrast, the soundscape features the voice of Jasper Cohen-Hunter, who recounts the Creation Story of the Birrarung as told by Beruk (William Barak, 1823-1903), the Ngurungaeta (leader) of the Wurundjeri-balluk.