East Coast Encounter
East Coast Encounter is a multi-arts initiative involving Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, writers and songwriters to re-imagine the encounter by Lt James Cook and his crew with Aboriginal people in 1770.
Cook’s voyage along the Australian east coast has become central to national historical narratives. The exhibition re-envisages this seminal journey by imaginatively exploring moments of contact between two world views during these encounters. It also brings these events into the present by incorporating artists’ reflections on their relevance today, and their responses to visits to significant contact locations.
Topics such as encounter, impact, differing perspectives, nature and culture, and views of country are investigated. Artists include Bianca Beetson, Michael Cook, Neil Healey, Peter Hudson, Adam Hill, Garth Lena, Gail Mabo, Euan Macleod, Arone Meeks, Reg Mombassa, Gordon Syron, Ann Thomson, Judy Watson and performer/writers Gemma Cronin, Shane Howard and Neil Murray. The curators are Dr Lisa Chandler from the University of the Sunshine Coast and John Waldron from Blue Sky View exhibition services.
Paintings, photographs, videos and three dimensional works are included alongside a small selection of historic artefacts. The exhibition features a documentary DVD by Jeff McMullen which gives further voice to the artists and records their encounters with significant sites and traditional owners.
Images courtesy of BlueSkyView
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