Parrtijima: The Festival of Lights
“This is our country, this is our art, this is our culture - and it is good.”
The Festival of Lights. A mountain range illuminated with moving shapes and patterns. A pathway formed by glowing lanterns. A rhythmic beat welcoming you to be a part of the installations, not just a viewer. This is what greeted us as we pulled up to the Alice Springs Desert Park.
I first read about Parrtjima in a Facebook group (becoming my go to method for travel tips). The 10 day festival is typically held once a year, but due to a desire to change the season of the event, it’s only 6 months since the last one held in October. I set my departure from the Grampians based on this as a must attend.
This year’s theme, Language Expressions, was inspired by the United Nations Year of Indigenous Languages and featured artwork from across the Northern Territory, Western and Central Australia regions. The festival is the only First Nations event of its kind and showcases some of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth through the latest technology.
The Language of Kin
You’re welcomed into the space through an illuminated tunnel constructed with abstract shaped arches made of flashing red and white lights, surrounded by an audio soundscape. The piece as a whole explores the complex system of kinship, with physical words and narrative stories of the language around family.
As you walk through, a voice introduces you to the in-depth system that determines family relationships and how people are related to each other. Doing further research, I learned about “skin names” and the roles, responsibilities, and obligations that come from those relations.
The Language of Change
For thousands of years, the aboriginal people traveled with the seasons, following their songlines to take part in events and gatherings. Today, these journeys continue but people use different forms of transportation - illustrated here in the form of “bush taxis.”
I particularly loved this piece, as you could sit in old bus seats and take a quiet moment to observe the art or just look up at the night sky.
The Language of Children
An oversized maze encouraging connectedness and conversation - the artist hoped to depict the way children communicate during play as a great connector, leading to belonging, being, and becoming.
At Custom Ink, the leadership team had monthly creative brainstorms; one question that has continued to resonate with me is “What are some of the creative things you’ve seen children do? When you’re with them, do they make you more creative?” There’s something so refreshing in spending time with kids - they are honest, open, and astoundingly creative. Plus, they inspire that in others. This piece spoke to that.
The Language of Stockmen
Cowboy culture and westerns - I felt right at home! These large sculptures focused on the lesser known social history of station workers and their language of the land.
This illustrated true community engagement as the a group of men collaborated in the creation, young artists paired with older mentors.
The Language of Moths
The first pieces I saw, right downtown on Todd Mall. The Arrernte people requested a follow-up from a popular installation in 2018 that celebrated caterpillars - this time using moths - to share another layer to the story of the Country and Arrernte relationship to the physical and spiritual world.
Photo Courtesy of Parrtjima Australia
Lighting the Macdonnell Ranges
I’ve never seen art to this scale before - 2 kilometres of the mountain rangers were illuminated with a series of images celebrating the beauty, uniqueness, and survival of the landscape. At the edge of the festival, stadium seating provided an amphitheater for a light show on the story of the journey through the Country.
Photo Courtesy of Parrtjima Australia
Grounded
A giant seamless canvas, seven artists contributed to this immersive projection on the desert sand. You could run through the images and feel the movement of the lights as if the ground below you was shifting.