Paper short abstract:

In 2007, a multimedia archive and production centre was established in Yirrkala, in north-east Arnhem Land, a community which was the focus of Ian Dunlop’s well known Yirrkala Film Project. Far from fixing rituals in authentic forms or reified models, I will argue that Aboriginal filmic records, like ritual images in general, must be understood in the context of their performance.

Paper long abstract:

In 1970, the Yolngu people of Yirrkala, in north-east Arnhem Land, began a long term collaboration with Australian filmmaker Ian Dunlop. The resulting Yirrkala film Project, a collection of 22 films made over the years until 1996, documents the life, concerns and visions of local indigenous groups in times of uncertainty and change brought about by the implantation of the NABALCO bauxite mine in the region. As it is evidenced in the footage, and expressed by one of the key participants, the Yolngu involved regarded the filming process as an opportunity to make a "true picture" of their culture for future generations. This film collection represents an invaluable cinematic record which was sold at the Yirrkala art centre as a series of videos very popular among Yolngu people of all ages.

In 2007, a multimedia archive and production centre was established in Yirrkala. A new generation of Yolngu is creatively engaging with historical images to add layers of meaning, remix the old and the new, reconnect the living and the dead, and produce new films and videos which they also share on the Internet to "speak to the future". Far from fixing rituals in authentic and sanctified forms or reified models that need to be reproduced in every detail, I will argue that Aboriginal filmic records, like ritual images in general, must be understood in the context of their performance.