20 Marine Terrace, Geraldton WA 6530, Australia
First Lights – Winthu Wangga
Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green
Nicole Dickerson
Sat 13 July 2024
Geraldton Foreshore (between Forrest and Durlacher St)
Date and time
Sat 13 July 2024
NAIDOC Week community activities by Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation from 4.30pm | Welcome to Country 6.30pm | Drone light show 7pm
Entry
FREE
Accessibility
Date and time
Sat 13 July 2024
NAIDOC Week community activities by Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation from 4.30pm | Welcome to Country 6.30pm | Drone light show 7pm
Entry
FREE
Accessibility
Illuminating the night sky, First Lights travelled to the foreshore of Geraldton in July, inviting audiences to listen to the songs of the winthu wangga.
First Lights – Winthu Wangga (Wind Talk Lights) is a drone light and sound experience which told the many stories of the wind as it flows and connects across Yamatji lands from inland to the sea.
Created by acclaimed Yamatji poet Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green with artist Nicole Dickerson, First Lights – Winthu Wangga saw a fleet of nearly 200 drones take flight sharing ancient stories of place across Geraldton beach.
“This tells the many stories of the winthu wangga (wind) and the honouring of our Old People and Culture by making sure we pass on cultural knowledge and cultural practices to the next generations. You are invited to listen to the ancient sound of winthu wangga as it connects to all – across people, animals, land, waters and stars” – Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green.
Co-Presented with Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation
Artists: Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green with Nicole Dickerson
Narrator: Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green
Animation: Jarrad Russell
Sound Design: Azariah Felton
Local Producer: Alysha Saunders
Videography: Nic Montagu (Kitecast)
Technical Partners: Stellar Lights and Elite Audio Visual Productions
About the artists
Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green
Dr. Charmaine Papertalk Green was born at Eradu (between Geraldton and Mullewa) on Southern Yamaji country. She is a member of the Wajarri, Badimaya and Nhanagardi Wilunyu cultural groups of Yamaji Nation in Western Australia. Green is a visual artist, poet and writer and began writing poetry in Mullewa in the late 1970’s. Charmaine was instrumental in the incubation of the nationally and internationally touring exhibition “Ilgarijiri – Things belonging to the Sky” arts and cultural project a Yamaji Art collaboration with the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy Curtin University, Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project Australian Government and City of Greater Geraldton. Her publications include Just Like That (Fremantle Art Press 2007); Tiptoeing Tod the Tracker (Oxford University Press 2014); collaboration with WA poet John Kinsella, False Claim of Colonial Thieves (Magabala Books 2018); Nganajungu Yagu (Cordite Publishing Inc.’s 2019); and numerous anthologies and other publications.
In 2019 Charmaine was shortlisted in Adelaide Festival John Bray Award 2020 and the ALS Gold Medal 2019 for False Claim of Colonial Thieves. In 2020 Charmaine won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2020 poetry category, shortlisted for the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (2020) winning the ALS Gold Medal 2020 and shortlisted in the 2020 Queensland Premiers Literary Award Judith Wright Calanthe Prize for Nganajungu Yagu (Cordite Publishing Inc).
Nicole Dickerson
Nicole Dickerson is a proud Yama(t)ji Woman from Geraldton WA, she is connected to the Amangu, Naaguja, Wilunyu People & also to the Ngarluma people on her Mother’s side. Her current practice reflects the feelings of her personal narrative. Her work is influenced both by contemporary Aboriginal art and her strong tie to where she comes from, through sharing stories, memories of family traditions & times spent at special places. In Nicole’s work, she uses fine intricate line design and bright colours, which adds uniqueness to her style. Her main medium is acrylic on canvas and on local scallop shells, the dot technique is also used, but in a more contemporary way. Nicole’s artwork is bold, poetic and she always puts her soul into everything created, which is evident in her artwork, it’s her form of healing, it’s her strength, it’s her words when she cannot speak and most importantly it’s her story.
Welcome to Country: 6.30pm
Drone Light Show: 7pm
Event Area & Viewing Locations: The best viewing locations are at the Geraldton Foreshore (between Dome and Forrest St), either on the beach or grass area.
Event Information: This is an outdoor event, with limited shelter available. It takes place at night, and there may be some walking involved. We recommend wearing warm, comfortable clothing, and bringing along plenty of water. Food won’t be food available at the event, but we encourage you to bring along a picnic.
Weather: This event is highly dependent on weather conditions and will not go ahead in the event of rain or strong winds. Follow @first__lights on Facebook and Instagram pages for live announcements.
Latecomers: We recommend arriving early to allow time for parking and to get a good viewing spot. The duration of the drone show is only 15 minutes, so arriving late means you might miss out!
Parking:
Parking is available along Foreshore Drive, with the main carpark located across the road from the Event Area. Additional car parks can be found at Chapman Road and next to the Mantra Geraldton.
Food & Drink:
The event is held close to Geraldton town centre, where there are many food vendors available. Alternatively, we recommend bringing a picnic.
Road Closures:
Forrest St (from Foreshore Drive to the Marina) will be closed from 4pm – 10pm on the event day.
Facilities: Public toilets including Accessible ACROD toilet facilities are available at the event. See event map.
Parking: Accessible parking bays will be marked along Foreshore Drive, directly in front of the Event Area.
Access: The event area and drone light show can be accessed and viewed via pedestrian footpaths. It is located a short distance (under 100metres) from ACROD parking bays.
Photo by Steve Pidgeon