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We have now etched all 80 plates in acid and printed out
the four large sheets of paper which make up the Panel. Basil
has sent through an early photo of the work taking shape.
As you can see, it is going to be over
2.5m tall and around 1.6m wide. It is so big, we are having
to lay it out in my driveway and view it from the verandah
above. You can't see all the beautiful images very clearly.
.
The strength of the Garma Panel lies, firstly, in the fact
that the overall concept was developed in consultation
with four of the most senior men at the Festival, Galarrwuy
Yunupingu,
Freddie Timms, Tommy May and Djambawa Marawili, and, secondly,
in the way in which the growing enthusiasm of the group
of artists drove the image-making from that pivotal starting
point. When the participants want a work to succeed, and
are driven on by those around them, they can create great
things! It became quite a competitive operation, with each
artist seeing what the artists next to him or her had done,
and then responding or reworking the plate to improve it
further. It was also a great spectator event, with many
of
the Festival visitors returning a number of times to see
the overall work developing on the table we had the plates
laid out on.
Some extraordinary coincidences started to appear,
and more will be obvious when the work is printed and the
artist get a look at it. For example, Tommy May (Fitzroy
Crossing) and Gulumbu Yunupingu (Yirrkala) made the plates
which take up the two bottom corners of the whole composition.
Quite independently of each other, each did a version of
the seven sisters (star) story, as told to them by the
old people, with surprisingly similar marks!
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The Garma panel
The project was overseen by Basil Hall and assisted by Natasha Rowell, both of
Basil Hall Editions, a Fine Art Printmaking and Publishing company located in
Darwin.
The Garma Panel idea came about as a result of an approach made to Basil by Trevor
van Weeren from the YYF earlier this year. It was suggested that some form of
collaborative project would be an appropriate way to involve the numerous artists
attending the Festival. One way to do this would be to do a large piece which
would have the flexibility of being both a single art work and numerous individual
works too.
Drawing straight onto pre-grouded etching plates seemed to be a good way to go,
as it was something that all the artists could do, even if they had never had
a go before (as opposed to carving wood blocks, for example, which would require
a prior experience or a particular skill). Basil asked for 80 plates to be cut
in Melbourne and sent to Darwin along with some tools, and Trevor arranged it
all to be delivered to the festival site.
Our task as collaborators in the Art
Project at Garma was to facilitate the process technically, to maintain the
enthusiasm levels and to explain the project to visitors
and the press.
The final stage, commencing in early September, will
be a long one, as each plate has to be individually etched
in
acid back in Darwin at our studios. It must then be proofed
(printed onto paper) to ensure the image is strong enough
to maintain a print run. Then all 80 plates will be printed
by hand onto four adjoining sheets of etching paper.
We
have been contracted to do 12 copies of this large work.
Each
copy will take around a day to produce.
Finally, we will send an individual print to each of
the participants for their approval. Individual editions
of 20 prints will be made and shared between the
artists, BHE and YYF. Contracts have been drawn up and signed between YYF and
the artists, and between YYF, ANKAA and BHE.
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2003 artists
Tommy May, Djapirri Munungurritj, Malcolm Wilson, Johnnie
Tragan, Crystal Jumburra, Lenore Dembski, Matilda Pascoe,
Gulumbu Yunupingu, Hermy Munnich, Dhuwarrwarr
Marika, Karen Mills, Milkay Munungurr, Jason Davidson, Gary Donnelly, Jimmy
An Gunguna, Ezaria Kelly, Tamara Munnich, Lorraine
Austin, Zhou Xiaoping, Cathy
Craigie, Rhonda Roberts, Kerry McIlvenny, Watjumi Munungurr, Rex Wilfred,
Daniel Garlngarr, Gabriel Maralngurra, Samuel Gurruwiwi,
Milliwanga Sandy, Terry Djambawa
Marawili, Jenny Fraser, Valerie Martin, Mavis Ganambarr, Djalinda Yunupingu,
Angela Lee, Stumpy Brown, Merrkiyawuy, Banduk Marika, Rea, Djon Mundine,
Lisa Binmila Yunupingu, Joan Magomara, Stan Brumby, Aunty
Joy Murphy, Gawirrin Gumana,
Aaron McTaggart, Brenda Pilikui, Gaylene Gurruwiwi, Sebasti Ward, Ralph Gumurdul,
Dorothy May, Djalu Gurruwiwi, Freddie Timms, Christian Thompson, Michelle
Blakeney, Caroline Bukulajpi, Wilfred Nawrridj, Richard
Whalley, Robyn Sutherland, Samia
Goudie, Bronwyn Munungurr, Brenda Croft, Michael Tuffery, Ivan Namarnyilk,
Bernice Rice, Hitler Pamba, Hitjer Gordon, Galarrwuy
Yunupingu, Yalmay Yunupingu, Tiny
McCale, Dhopia Gurruwiwi, Myra Anne Tipiloura, Bonaeventure Timaepatua, Gordon
Pupangamirri, Stewart Hoosan, Matthew Freddie Puruntatameri, John Martin
and Nolita Timaepatua.
The regions represented were: Fitzroy Crossing, Eastern Arnhem Land (Yirrkala
and Nhulunbuy), Daly River, Victoria (several artists), Derby WA, Maningrida,
Western Anhem Land (Oenpelli), Katherine, NSW (several artists), Warlpiri
artists from Central Australia, Elcho Is, Balgo, Hall's Ck, Queensland (several
artists),
Tiwi Islands, Goulburn Is, New Zealand (Michael Tuffery, invited guest artist),
Manyallaluk, Boorooloola |
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