Bunggul – a deeply emotional work of song, dance and art
Dr G Yunupingu created his fourth and final album Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) in the years leading up to his death in 2018 – just days before the album’s release. He worked to blend the classical western orchestral traditions with the traditional instruments and songlines of his people. The resulting album was the work of true genius.
If you are reading this concerned that this review will be full of gushing hyperbole, well you’re pretty much right. Experiencing this album performed with a live orchestra alongside traditional art and dance was a truly magical experience.
Bunggul invites the audience to witness Yolngu ceremony, the meeting place of dance, song and ritual. This particular bunggul starts with the men being painted for the dance they are about to perform for the track Baru (Saltwater Crocodile). The diamonds represent fire, and after he has been painted he is transformed into a crocodile for the dance.
Aerial views of the stage were projected onto a screen behind both orchestra and performers. These images were interspersed with images of the men performing the same dances on their country. This creates a sense of connection between Yolngu and Whadjuk Noongar country – the same earth, thousands of kilometres apart, connected through the sharing of culture.
The night ends with a glimpse of the Archibald award-winning portrait of Gurrumul himself.
I can't pretend to be an expert on Capital-C Classical music or the art of First Nations people in Australia. What I can do is share the deep emotional response that I – and many of the people around me – experienced in response to this work. I felt somehow more connected to my own community and to the earth I was walking on. It was one of those transcendent moments when you walk out of a performance to find the world is still moving and you are entirely changed.
