Cirrus@Austlit

'A picture is worth a thousand words, but the paintings I discuss in this paper capture what words could not. The Picture Talk Project commissioned Australian Aboriginal artists to paint research results, to be used as a visual medium to present findings back to the Aboriginal communities. However, the way in which the artists were briefed, the process of creation and the artists' lived experiences all emerged in the paintings. The process reinforces the fact that efforts to ensure greater collaboration take place within a long history of power inequities. The experience is a sober reminder that we must embody appropriate cultural frame works of communication every step of the way.' (Publication abstract)

'Growing up Aboriginal in Australia, edited by Anita Heiss, is an honest, poignant and often heartbreaking collection of short stories. It is an uplifting recount of our own people, our own stories and our own social, cultural and interpersonal strengths.' (Introduction)

At a sandstone outcrop in Arnhem Land known an Injalak Hill, a traditional owner points to an enormous rock face. Adorning it are earthy reds and yellows, along with startlingly white clay. Spread across two pages in glossy colour, this image is but one of many in this book that may remind its Italian readers (some who may be reading this volume in its Italian edition) of treasured frescoes much closer to home. But instead of the familiar characters from the Book of Genesis are countless figures side by side or overlain: fish, kangaroos and crocodiles, all outlined in striking clarity and infilled with intricate designs. On the next page, anthropologist-and-philosopher Tony Swain has stressed that in Australia’s north, art and cosmology are deeply aligned and sometimes the same; Dreamings collide with the land, and once one is accustomed to experiencing them, then the country is alive with signs of their presence .'  (Introduction)

'A few years ago — prior to my current role — I was interviewed for a job at AIATSIS. After providing a description of my previous experience working as an archaeologist, I was informed by the chair of the interview panel that AIATSIS no longer undertakes archaeological research. I was surprised to learn this. Was I the only person in the interview room who knew of the historical association between AIATSIS and the discipline of Australian archaeology? Following the interview I set about hatching plans for an oral history project that would highlight the long historical association between AIATSIS and archaeology, in order to produce a more detailed account beyond the odd reference that seemed to exist within the published sources. Then I read Billy Griffiths’ Deep time Dreaming: uncovering ancient Australia and breathed a sigh of relief.' (Introduction)