Work created as a result of winning the Blake Established Artist Residency 2021.
Same River Twice is a multi-channel video installation that explores how different cultural perspectives are layered into the same landscape along the Georges River, Western Sydney. Viewers can shift between four video streams by turning a piece of driftwood allowing a multiplicity of voices to speak about what the landscape means to them. The Georges River is prone to flooding and has become a flashpoint for the impact of our changing climate. This work explores the importance of rivers for the future of urban communities and the ways in which culture is layered into the landscape as we negotiate change, loss and survival.
Stories include Rooan Al Kalmashi explaining how she fled Iraq and was baptized in an Australian river, Shayne Williams discussing a 1930s land rights speech by his ancestor Dharawal Elder Joe Anderson; Marion Huxley catching macroinvertebrates as she monitors pollution in the river; and Jiva Parthipan dancing with video footage of his younger self as he faces a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
Cinematographer: Jude Ella
Assistant Cinematographer: Dane Howell
First Assistant Director: Darryl Thoms
Audio mix, composition and recording: Jon Hunter
Colourist: Yanni Kronenberg
With thanks to Jiva Parthipan and Sally Sussman and Luke Letourneau. Footage in Iran provided by Yuhana Nashmi used with permission and thanks.