Podcast: Jane Raffan talks to Jeff McMullen about East Coast Encounter
Did you know that if you miss one of the many interviews with amazing local and international artists that happen on our Arts programs each weekday morning you have two chances to catch up? You can go to our Program Guide and choose “Playlists and Programs”, for any of the last four weekly shows in that time slot, or you can check our Podcasts for expanded versions of the interviews.
On Monday 2 June, Jane Raffan of Artifacts, on her Arts Monday program, explored the ideas behind the East Coast Encounter – Re-imagining 1770 exhibition, speaking with award-winning journalist, filmmaker and author Jeff McMullen AM. Jeff has written, filmed, and campaigned around the world to improve the health, education and human rights of indigenous people.
Why are they here?
East Coast Encounter – Re-imagining 1770, is an exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum exploring the phenomenon of first contact. The result of a major four-year project, it takes the observer back to the time of Captain James Cook’s mapping of the east coast of Australia.
The exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to see how these encounters resonate with indigenous and non-indigenous artists, writers and songwriters today. It also gives the viewer an opportunity to contemplate their own feelings about first contact.
The East Coast Encounter project and exhibition includes a documentary film Jeff wrote and produced, which gives further voice to the artists and records their own encounters with significant first contact sites, as well as traditional owners.
Broken Dreams #3, 2010 by Michael Cook, Courtesy of Andrew Baker Art Dealer & Dianne Tanzer Gallery + Projects
Cook’s four-month journey took Jeff on a four-year journey of discovery as he explored the places where first-contact encounters took place, gathering the authentic feelings of the indigenous people who live there today.
Jeff’s film and the exhibition give us a very different perspective from which to view the past, one that moves significantly starboard of the traditional European paradigms of ’navigate and discover’or ’go forth and conquer’. On the podcast of the program – link below – you’ll hear Jane and Jeff talk about Cook’s actual orders and his inability to understand the indigenous population. Their discussion is well worth a listen.
Artists taking part in the exhibition 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, Adric Watson, Judy Watson and performer/writers Gemma Cronin, Shane Howard and Neil Murray.
More information about the exhibition is available on the National Maritime Museum website.
East Coast Encounter – Re-imagining 1770 features paintings, photographs, videos and three-dimensional works. It’s a rich exploration of a moment in history that deserves far more of our attention.
East Coast Encounter – Re-imagining 1770
National Maritime Museum
exhibition runs until 24 August 2014