You know that feeling of awe when you first witness a shooting star or spy a Van Gogh hanging right in front of you? That was how I felt when I first laid eyes on Parrtjima. Driving a few minutes out of Alice Spring’s town centre along a darkened ordinary street, I glanced left and was confronted with the gobsmacking site of the MacDonnell Rangers dancing in the moonlight – yes, dancing.
Parrtjima – A Festival in Light returned to Mparntwe, Alice Springs. Parrtjima, a free annual festival of Aboriginal culture, features light, art, music, workshops, talks, and a mini film festival. Sky Country was this year’s theme which explored our place in the universe, and the relationship First Nations people have with the environment.
Parrtjima is the meeting place where old meets new. It is the only authentic Aboriginal light festival of its kind, showcasing the oldest continuous culture on earth through the latest technology – all on the 300-million-year-old natural canvas of 2km of the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia. The Festival highlights the beauty of the Central Australian Desert at Desert Park, Alice Springs.
“Parrtjima means shedding both light and understanding, but it’s much more. It’s the generosity and spirit of a peoples who have and always will care for Country and the many travellers who visit this timeless land,” said Parrtjima Curator Rhoda Roberts AO.
Each year this free event celebrates how artists evolve and experiment with different styles and materials while staying true to Country and culture. As well as the astonishing large-scale light installations and MacDonnell Ranges light show, the program included a slew of Aboriginal artists, performers, and experts. Performers such as BARKAA, King Stingray,East Arnhem band King Stingray, Emma Donovan and The Putbacks, Ray Ray McKenzie, Tilly Tjala Thomas, DJ Karnage, RONA and GUTS Dance entertained guests. There were screen printing workshops with House of Darwin, pottery with the Hermannsburg Potters, and seed jewellery making with the Ikuntji Artists. The talks and panel program included journalist Narelda Jacobs and Indigenous water science and Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge, who discussed how ancient knowledge systems of Sky Country can inform current climate policy.
Parrtjima was delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC) in association with Creators and Producer AGB Events. NTMEC CEO Tim Watsford said Parrtjima is one of Australia’s most unique events. “Parrtjima is unlike anything else, featuring visually stunning large-scale light installations and the incredible MacDonnell Ranges light show, which literally turns a vast expanse of the Ranges into a natural canvas,” he said.
Artists involved included Mary James (Colours of the Desert), June Smith (Pink Sky Sunset), Corban ClauseWilliams (Kaalpa Kalypa), Cassaria Young Hogan (Ngintaka), Isaac Girrabul (Portrait of a man with bushy hair), Karen Napaljarri Barnes (Budgerigar Dreaming 1, 2 & 3), Farron Jampitjinpa Furber (Budgerigar Dreaming), Raelene Ngala Williams (Walpa Pulka – Whirly Wind), Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists, Jeannie Nungarrayi Egan: 1948-2009 (Rain Dreaming, Budgerigar Dreaming, Bush Tobacco Dreaming, Native Fuchsia Dreaming and Ceremonial Pole Dreaming), Carmen Glynn-Braun (Dreamy), Brought to life by First Nations-led not-for-profit Common Ground, alongside partners Snapchat and Ogilvy, Dreamy is a collection of sleep stories that align with the Parrtjima theme, Sky Country, Dakota Feirer (Living Echoes), Dr Romaine Moreton (Moon Holds Water), Aurora Liddle-Christie (Journey to the Centre), Ghenoa Gela (Stardust and Tagai) and Jazz Money (Bilabang).
Parrtjima is held on Mparntwe (Alice Springs), which is connected to the estates of Mparntwe, Antulye and Irlpme. This also includes a network of people who have connections to these areas, some of whom have established the Parrtjima Festival Reference Group (PFRG) to guide and help create Parrtjima. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light, the first Indigenous light festival of its kind, was created and produced by AGB Events, who were engaged by Northern Territory Major Events Company (NTMEC). AGB Events enabled the creative content and stories to emerge from the Alice Springs artistic and cultural communities.
For more information, visit: https://parrtjimaaustralia.com.au/
Top photo: MacDonnell Ranges Light Show – credit @yogidanny
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