An Inspiring Intersection of Innovation and Accessibility in Art and Culture
In 2023, Juluwarlu CEO Lorraine Coppin embarked on an innovative project that transformed a 1955 vintage Bedford bus into an immersive, mobile art space. Collaborating with artist Dr. Andrew Sunley Smith, Coppin envisioned the Yellow Bus as a vehicle for both literal and cultural transportation, designed to house Yindjibarndi arts and interactive learning materials, traveling to different locations to engage larger audiences with Yindjibarndi culture while at the same time reconnecting the Yindjibarndi community with their history.
The Yellow Bus symbolizes much more than an artistic endeavor—it’s a living archive of collective memory, embodying the profound connection between Yindjibarndi people and their Ngurra (Country). Lorraine Coppin’s inspiration for the project stems from her own fond childhood experiences in Roebourne, where people were often transported on a yellow bus out onto Yindjibarndi Country. For many, these trips were a rare opportunity to return to their ancestral lands, spending precious time with Elders who shared knowledge, stories, and cultural practices during a period when families had been forcibly relocated to town camps on Ngarluma Country. As Lorraine recalls,
“The Yellow Bus gave us a time that we looked forward to every weekend and on holidays. It promised us connection with Elders and to take us back home. It taught us how to look after family and each other.”
“Era of the Elders” focusses on stories of a generation of Yindjibarndi elders, those who paved the way for the land rights struggles of the 2000s. Having passed on their stories, they are powerfully retold by their descendants. This project, which took over a year to develop, is presented as a radio piece, art installation, and a podcast on Spotify. It serves as a means of preserving cultural memory and heritage, primarily intended for the Yindjibarndi and Pilbara communities.
Gray’s work was thoughtfully contextualised at the Biennale, alongside other pieces addressing dispossession and cultural memory and a talk from Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation CEO Michael Woodley.
This powerful project, seen by over a thousand people, finds its place in a former Kosovoan radio station: a setting rich with historical significance, speaking to the experiences of Kosovars and their struggle for identity and recognition. And, at the same time, paying homage to its’ Roebourne radio production.
Background
Gray spent 2022 in Roebourne, Western Australia, collaborating with Ngaarda Media; Juluwarlu Aboriginal Group and Yindjibarndi emerging producer and multidisciplinary artist Wimiya Woodley as part of a Spaced Rural Utopias artist residency.
Gray utilised the concept of “mutual aid” as a research method, inspired by anarchist ecologist Peter Kropotkin and the self-organising Prosfygıka community in Athens. This approach involved offering his sound recording skills to assist existing projects and enhance the work of Ngaarda Media and Juluwarlu Arts Centre, allowing him to learn about communities and grassroots cultural organisations while contributing to their goals.
“Era of the Elders” evolved out of this process and a request from Juluwarlu to create a podcast out of the biographies of the elders that were presented at the Ganilili centre for NAIDOC week in 2022.
Ngaarda Media, based in Ieramagadu (Roebourne), Western Australia, serves as the region’s sole First Nations media outlet, providing daily news bulletins focused on First Nations breaking news and representing 31 language groups in the Pilbara region.
Gray’s involvement began with covering the annual “Old People’s Birthday” event, which commemorates Aboriginal individuals with unrecorded birthdates and sheds light on the history of Ieramagadu/Roebourne, marked by past injustices but also nostalgia for a time when different indigenous groups lived harmoniously and practised their traditions and laws during the reserve era.
“Learning about the history of Roebourne is to learn about injustice piled on top of injustice, yet the reserve era is almost universally looked upon by Ngardangali (Aboriginal People in Yindjibarndi) nostalgically. It was a time when different groups of indigenous people lived peacefully together and were able to practise their tradition and law.” – Nathan Gray.
Together Juluwarlu, Ngaarda Media, Woodley and Gray intertwined their creative energies with the rich history and traditions of Roebourne, the community of Ngurrawanna and Yindjibarndi Ngurra to create the outcome displayed at the Autostrada Biennale in Kosovo.
Partners
The residency is part of the Spaced Rural Utopias program. The program, supported by the Government of Western Australia and the RISE Fund, aims to bring art closer to rural and remote communities, fostering a deep connection between artists and their host communities.
Warjiwarlu all and thank you Nathan for collaborating with us to share our story- and stay tuned for details on the podcast!
