Quantum Rabbit

How do Songlines work across the Australian Continent?

A Songline is 'one of the paths across the land (or sometimes the sky) which mark the route followed by localised "creator-beings" during the Dreaming. The paths of the songlines are recorded in traditional songs, stories, dance, and painting.'

I was asked to participate in an exhibition project called Australiyaniality by my artist friend Matt McVeigh, which opened up the opportunity to explore my own thoughts on Australian identity, while meeting new artists and cultural leaders along the way. They were able to shed some light on the Songlines and how they connect to people and land.

This is part one of a series that will explore further questions around Australian identity and the artists choosing to question it.

Australiyaniality website - www.australiyaniality.com

The Grammy award-winning soundtrack to the 2000 Cohen Brothers film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" helped spark a folk revival, sending countless echoes forward in time. This episode follows one of those reflections, looking back at a project that brought together a unique mix of musicians for a series of concerts at the Perth Fringe World Festival in 2015. What made it special? We found a few unexpected answers.

Thanks Brothers & Sisters!

Jonathan Brain, Claire Coleman, Ivan Gian Piero, Chris Horan, Suzanne Ingelbrecht, Donna Iverson, Brad Jeffrey, Carl Jensen, Kate Jensen, Myki Jonez, Dave Lawrence, Rolf Liedel, Rosie Logie (special thanks for co-opting ‘The Younger Sibling Singers’ Sophie, Neve and Cedar, Janelle Morse, Joe Scholz, Elisa Siipola, Roly Skender, Aaron Sopolinski, Sara Tout and Bridget Turner.

and Daniel James Grant for the photo. @misterdangrant

Episode 6 - You are in a dark room surrounded by artists. How safe is this space? Theatre stories and skeptical conversations.

Spoken and produced by Roly Skender. Additional voice performances by Anonymous man and Joobilant Grande. Bad jazz music by Roly Skender.

Episode 006 - A challenging interactive projection art project with a number of twists and turns.

Special thanks to the Ruah Centre, Northbridge and the amazing work they do for homelessness in Perth:
www.ruah.org.au
including the 50 Lives, 50 Homes campaign
https://www.ruah.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Housing_and_Homelessness_Ruah.pdf

Written, spoken and composed by Roly Skender.
Additional music by Stoney Joe - www.stoneyjoe.com

Episode 005 - A new pair of sunglasses and a trip to the beach lead to a groundbreaking decision.

Written, spoken and composed by Roly Skender

Episode 4 - The highs and lows of public art, as seen through the lens of a street mural on Beaufort St in Mt Lawley.

Written and spoken by Roly Skender
Guest appearance by Shady
Music by Roly Skender and Stoney Joe

The Worst of Perth article - https://theworstofperth.com/2014/11/04/pigalle-artisanal-dogging-on-beaufort/
Video of the paint going down - https://youtu.be/yteAa_T7Itg

Episode 3 - A pitch for a new project turns into something quite different, culminating in a dangerous situation or two.

Spoken and produced by Roly Skender. Music by Roly Skender and Stoney Joe.

Episode 2 - Re-cut from the now-defunct non-starter podcast, 'The Outspoken Inn'. Roly is joined by Grant Shade (Shady) from the Film Shapes podcast. Apart from chronicling the 'worst gig ever', this episode covers country music, Townes Van Zandt, Chinese Opera and the Australian folk ballad, Waltzing Matilda.

Spoken by Roly Skender and Grant Shade
Produced by Roly Skender

Additional music and sound:

Bama Country, Eternity, Robocalypse2, Quirky Dog by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under the Creative Commons 3.0: By Attribution license.

Blackwood River, Smoke and Fire by Stoney Joe - www.stoneyjoe.com

Beijing Opera Dadengian performed by Shengsu Li.

Waltzing Matilda original recording by John Collinson.

Episode 1 - A journey to find the most interesting way to throw projected light at trees. Roly talks about the work of Craig Walsh and his intro to tree projections through a gig at the Fairbridge Folk Festival, leading to the unexpected birth of a mathematical, algorithmic entity called 'Tree Boss'.

Spoken and produced by Roly Skender. 'Big Rock' by Stoney Joe.