Birrpai – Dancing Beyond The Lens

SWFW-F26 Spotlight Event

Imagine seeing photos of your ancestors in museums, taken by people documenting an ‘exotic’ sighting.

From whose lens do we view memory, history, and culture?

BIRRPAI – DANCING BEYOND THE LENS OF THOMAS DICK is a talk, performance, and exhibition refocusing the lens on the UNESCO-listed Thomas Dick Birrpai Photograph Collection. This collection of historical photos was taken from 1910 by non-Indigenous Port Macquarie oyster farmer Thomas Dick and to portray pre-contact Birrpai life and people.

Birrpai is a thought-provoking celebration and remembrance of family by the descendants of the photos: Birrpai Traditional Owner, historian and father John Heath; and his daughter, dancer and choreographer Ngioka Bunda-Heath.

At The Gallery, Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance, 6 Park Avenue, Coffs Harbour

Program and Tickets >> HERE

Have a listen: Extract from original performance 2019

Follow on social: