Manna Gum stories.
Gadubanud cultural stories around the give and take ethos of the manna gum tree are brought to life creatively through imagery, film, children’s books and an exhibition to share them all.
April 5-20, 2025 at Arts Inc Gallery Apollo Bay.
A project produced in collaboration with Amy Tsilemanis
Media Release AUGUST 19th 2024
An exciting new project is underway in the Colac and Otway region, with funding from Creative Victoria’s First Nations Creative Projects Fund.
Building on the success of last year’s audio storytelling and mapping project Heart Maps, Richard Collopy’s collaborative venture Manna Gum Stories will draw on key walking routes, past and present that are key to the region’s rich history and future. The project will generate a new website, digital stories and an exhibition event in Apollo Bay next April, capturing and celebrating Gadubanud and Gulidjan culture for which he is a traditional custodian. It aims to be a strong reminder of the ongoing story of First Nations relationships with Country and to create a space for collaboration, care, generosity, re-inventiveness, and enthusiasm to heal.
Manna Gum Stories will see Richard work with family and regional collaborators Dr Heather Threadgold, anthropologist and cultural mapping specialist, and multi-modal artist/producers Amy Tsilemanis, Jade Forest, Rob Henry and Tiphaine De Fleurette.
Richard’s work embraces the way in which creative storytelling across visual art, music, and performance can dig into the complexity of the longest continuous living culture, and the interconnecting languages and songlines within. This includes the Collopy family’s dedication to highlighting key women in their ancestry and the use of cultural signifiers such as the Manna Gum tree for its spirit of give and take, and role in birthing, sustenance and survival, and the flow-on effects for land management and ecology. Walking through Country becomes a cultural living space where much can be learned.
Richard says “It’s time, after years of suppression, and despite wars and politics we are still here. Finally we can share and articulate some of the complexities of these lands, and how our families walk and live across the region.”
Media enquiries contact: Amy Tsilemanis- a.tsilemanis@gmail.com 0403716420