DURANGEN by several artists, curated by Jenny Fraser

DURANGEN’ means ‘grow’ or ‘growing’ in a number of dialects of the traditional Bundjalung language, and this documentary features six matriarchs speaking about their insider perspectives on plant art. The film making process helps us to fulfil the vision of our group, it’s significant to the Bundjalung Nation, as well as our respective tribal groups, and for us individual artists involved as custodians of culture.The artists interviewed for the DURANGEN documentary were also part of a world first Bundjalung plant art showcase in Japan, representing Australia at the 2023 JAALA Biennial held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. The self-funded group collection featured a range of weaving, textiles, ceramics, photography, film and text, all with a focus on a bio-regional approach to native plant uses.Yugambeh Language Advocate Faith Baisden said in her interview ‘I do see a lot of beauty in the way that the leaves change as they get older… and to me it sort of shows that through all stages of life there’s great beauty that we shouldn’t discount.’

Discussing our artworks in the film highlights the contribution of women’s work in growing culture, alongside some of the many native plant companions revered in daily living for us as Aboriginal people since time immemorial, but are now under threat from recent floods, fires, drought and pests. It is essential for us to have an archival record and be able to reshare this, especially as it involves the irreplaceable biological heritage of the plant queendom.We were not able to travel to Japan for the exhibition, but the MINA Mobile Film Commission has kept us motivated with an ongoing sense of solidarity. This got us some petrol money to travel all over Bundjalung Country for interviews On Country, including centres in New South Wales such as Ballina, Kyogle and Bangalow, along with places across the border into South East Queensland. Part of the documentary was edited while Artist-in-Residence at Grafton Gallery which also served as a base to travel back and forwards on filming road trips to Murwillumbah, The Tweed Valley, Fairy Hill, and Mount Barney.During the making of the documentary it came to light that Bundjalung Weavers were actually featured in London as one of the first exhibitions of Aboriginal objects overseas, that included baskets, nets and woven bags collected on The Frontier around Wiangaree, near Kyogle. This is new research that has recently been unearthed. To me it seems amazing to think that the cultural handiwork of our old people was so revered in the 1800s, but the paradox is that now these days showcases of Bundjalung brilliance mainly are left up to our own devices, while our plants have been left decimated from the colonial process. All the more reasons for our Warrioress energy now, marrying nature and the technology tools of the day.As artists we are social engineers, and our work can make change on many levels. This includes raising awareness towards saving plant species that are at risk, and also quarantining diseases, unlocking keys to holding biodiversity, helping to overcome “Plant Blindness”, sharing knowledge about Food Security, highlighting decolonising diets, encouraging re-connection with land and culture, engaging in reciprocal learning, being a part of the conversation about native plant use revitalisation and screen-based practices in and on tribal homelands, and gathering with like-minded practitioners. These are opportunities that are very rare for a lot of people.MINA, the Mobile Innovation Network Association and Australian Environments on Screen selected our concept as one of six eco films to be made on smartphones presenting unique and challenging perspectives on how people in this country are relating with site-specific landscapes and waterways.

DURANGEN by several artists, curated by Jenny Fraser

Our new documentary featuring Bundjalung Women Artists was commissioned after proposing our work to share Traditional Indigenous Knowledges and plant love from the ancient Gondwana Rainforest Region of Australia’s far East Coast.Titled ‘DURANGEN’ meaning ‘grow’ or ‘growing’ in a number of dialects of the traditional language, this new work features six matriarchs speaking about their insider perspectives on plant art. The film making process helps us to fulfil the vision of our group, it’s significant to the Bundjalung Nation, as well as our respective tribal groups, and for us individual artists involved as custodians of culture.The artists interviewed for the DURANGEN documentary were also part of a world first Bundjalung plant art showcase in Japan, representing Australia at the 2023 JAALA Biennial held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. The self-funded group collection featured a range of weaving, textiles, ceramics, photography, film and text, all with a focus on a bio-regional approach to native plant uses.Yugambeh Language Advocate Faith Baisden said in her interview ‘I do see a lot of beauty in the way that the leaves change as they get older… and to me it sort of shows that through all stages of life there’s great beauty that we shouldn’t discount.’

Discussing our artworks in the film highlights the contribution of women’s work in growing culture, alongside some of the many native plant companions revered in daily living for us as Aboriginal people since time immemorial, but are now under threat from recent floods, fires, drought and pests. It is essential for us to have an archival record and be able to reshare this, especially as it involves the irreplaceable biological heritage of the plant queendom.We were not able to travel to Japan for the exhibition, but the MINA Mobile Film Commission has kept us motivated with an ongoing sense of solidarity. This got us some petrol money to travel all over Bundjalung Country for interviews On Country, including centres in New South Wales such as Ballina, Kyogle and Bangalow, along with places across the border into South East Queensland. Part of the documentary was edited while Artist-in-Residence at Grafton Gallery which also served as a base to travel back and forwards on filming road trips to Murwillumbah, The Tweed Valley, Fairy Hill, and Mount Barney.During the making of the documentary it came to light that Bundjalung Weavers were actually featured in London as one of the first exhibitions of Aboriginal objects overseas, that included baskets, nets and woven bags collected on The Frontier around Wiangaree, near Kyogle. This is new research that has recently been unearthed. To me it seems amazing to think that the cultural handiwork of our old people was so revered in the 1800s, but the paradox is that now these days showcases of Bundjalung brilliance mainly are left up to our own devices, while our plants have been left decimated from the colonial process. All the more reasons for our Warrioress energy now, marrying nature and the technology tools of the day.As artists we are social engineers, and our work can make change on many levels. This includes raising awareness towards saving plant species that are at risk, and also quarantining diseases, unlocking keys to holding biodiversity, helping to overcome “Plant Blindness”, sharing knowledge about Food Security, highlighting decolonising diets, encouraging re-connection with land and culture, engaging in reciprocal learning, being a part of the conversation about native plant use revitalisation and screen-based practices in and on tribal homelands, and gathering with like-minded practitioners. These are opportunities that are very rare for a lot of people.MINA, the Mobile Innovation Network Association and Australian Environments on Screen selected our concept as one of six eco films to be made on smartphones presenting unique and challenging perspectives on how people in this country are relating with site-specific landscapes and waterways.

Filmmakers

Filmmakers

As senior artists and cultural practitioners of the matriarchy, we each represent different clan groups that make up some of the Bundjalung Nation and are featured in collaboration with cyberTribe: Euphemia Bostock (Munanjali), Faith Baisden (Kombumerri), Tania Marlowe (Nyanbul), Deidre Currie (Minjungbal), Jasmin Stanford (Githabul), and myself as Artist Curator Filmmaker, Jenny Fraser (Migunburri)..