Weaving and Yarning
Creative Conversations

Yarning Online OnCountry – Kurrapurra Pila

In 2020, Bourke Elders began weaving and yarning via zoom. They used raffia and other purchased materials but were keen to work with the broad range of materials that have traditionally been used for weaving – they were very aware that the Cultural Knowledge around caring for, harvesting, and weaving with those materials could potentially be lost.

This talk explores how weaving and yarning are used by communities to share knowledge and skills enabling the transference of Cultural Knowledge between Elders and extended family. Dr Lorina Barker also details how this activity moved online during the pandemic as the Community responded to the pandemic. Aboriginal Elders and Knowledge Holders, as well as younger people, from Bourke, Brewarrina, Weilmoringle, Enngonia, Goodooga and Wilcannia contribute to this project that connects people, the river, the spiny sedge and weaving techniques to the Mura (Songlines).

To register for a FREE ticket, click on the BOOK NOW button on this page and select the date of the event that you wish to attend from our Creative Conversations series.

There is also a Weaving Workshop on the day after the talk on 30 September 5pm – 8pm! Don’t miss out and book now! 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Dr Lorina Barker – Senior Lecturer & Lead Researcher, Songlines of Country

Lorina Barker is a descendant of the Wangkumara and Muruwari people from northwest NSW, Adnyamathanha (Flinders Rangers SA), the Kooma and Kunja (southwest QLD), and the Barkindji (northwest NSW). Lorina is an oral historian, filmmaker, storyteller, artist and poet. Lorina wrote and directed the short film documentary, My Grandmother’s Country, as a tribute and an elegy to her Grandmother Amy Elwood’s life and experiences and their removal from Country to the Old Brewarrina Mission. Lorina’s art-based projects are co-designed and delivered with Cultural Knowledge Holders/Elders and community members. These collaborations have created cultural methodologies, processes, protocols and methods for recording, sharing and performing Aboriginal history, culture and knowledge in a multisensory and creative way.

Mr Michael Brogan – Lecturer, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 

Michael Brogan is a Budtjala/WakkaWakka scholar and media specialist with 25-years experience working across education, visual and performing arts. He actively engages with contemporary Indigenous worldviews expressed through new media and digital technologies across a host of creative fields such as film, literature, theatre, music, art, dance. Mr Brogan’s professional work in Aboriginal education and creative practice has enabled him to actively foster an extensive network with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and creative professional s across a broad range of occupations, community organisations, government departments and education institutions.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS SERIES
Specialists in music, theatre, poetry, creative writing, screen studies and history will engage with audiences in presentations that profile current projects, questions and investigations into the arts. Join our speakers in a relaxed after-work setting to learn about their research and be inspired, piqued and challenged as our presenters explore the changing nature of arts and culture in Australia.

Presentations will be 45 minutes followed by a Q&A session with the researcher where audiences can dig deeper and find out more about the themes and discoveries of the talk.

CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS SERIES SCHEDULE

Writing – Ariella Van Luyn
21 July – 6.30pm

Poetry – Valentina Gosetti
18 August – 6.30pm

Weaving – Lorina Barker & Michael Brogan
29 September – 6.30pm
30 September – Weaving Workshop 5pm – 8pm

Theatre – Samuel Webster & Melita Rowston
24 November – 6.30pm

PRESENTED BY
The University of New England Cultural and Creative Arts Network in partnership with The Joan