|
| |
|
|
|
|
An Aboriginal music and art festival
Ruigoord, the Netherlands, june 29, 2003
Amsterdam's didgeridoo shop Aboriginal
Art & Instruments and Dreamtime Events from
Berlin, Germany have joined forces this
summer in the organisation of an Aboriginal
music and art festival.
The Ruigoord festival terrain will be host
to a variety of activities and events. At
the didgeridoo workshops you can get acquainted
with the instrument or learn new playing
techniques from world's top didgeridoo musicians, who
will later on the day perform on the festival stage. Apart
from the impressive line-up
of musicians performing live, percussionists and dancers
will add to the mixed athmosphere of both native and
contemporary aspects of Australian culture.
|
|
|
|
|
|
At the Ruigoord church the 'Tingari Cycles' Aboriginal
art exhibition will take place, about which more can
be read here. On the festival
terrain a market will offer a diversity of products
like didgeridoos, artefacts, Tshirts, books and -of
course- cds from the perfoming artists. You can also
enjoy our typical Australian BBQ with a glass of Australian
beer or a cocktail from the juice bar.
The festival has a special program for children, where
you can make and paint your own 'didge', and learn how
to play it. You can also learn how to throw a boomerang
and hear about its function and history. Or you can
get painted like a traditional Aboriginal and learn
on of their tribal dances. With the free camp site and
the possibility to stay the night, this can be an ideal
weekend out with your family or with a bunch of friends.
|
| The 'artist
colony' Ruigoord
has a history of organizing and hosting festivals
which excel in originality. Ten years ago it was
the location of the Dreamtime Awakenings Festival,
with 10.000 visitors on of the largest festivals
ever held on the site. This year Ruigoord also celebrates
its 30th birthday, and we would like to give them
a present by organising a similar event. The site
gives the opportunity to sit at a campfire and watch
the stars or rise at dawn and have breakfast in
the grass. This spirit of freedom characterises
the festival. For more information about Ruigoord,
its history and the |
|
|
|
| events they host, visit their
site at http://www.ruigoord.nl.
They have a special english page here,
and if you want to know how to get to the festival site
you can follow this
link. |
| |
 |
|
Tickets
are available at the festival's entrance and cost
15 euro. If you want to participate in the didgeridoo
workshops, let us know at workshops@aboriginalart.nl.
The workshops cost 35 euro are held from 11 am to
1 pm. |
|
For more information about the festival you can send us
an email at festival@aboriginalart.nl.
Media and press inquiries can be pointed to saspectprevents@hotmail.com.
|
|
|
| |
10:30 Opening of the Dream.Time Amsterdam festival
11:00 - 13:00 Workshops with Alan Dargin, Si,
Mark Atkins and Stephen Kent
12:00 Children's Program, Market, Aboriginal
Art Exhibition, Australian BBQ
13:00 Performance by Mark
Atkins (AUS)
14:30 Performance by Stephen
Kent & Band (USA)
16:30 Performance by 3ple-D
(NL)
18:30 Performance by Charlie
McMahon & Band (AUS)
20:30 Performance by Si
& Wild Marmalade (AUS)
22:00 Performance by Ganga Giri
& Band (AUS)
23:30 Performance by Alan
Dargin (AUS)
01:00 Grand Finale: MuGezond
Party Jam with Didgeridoo Players, Band and Deejays.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Mark
Atkins is a descendant of the Yamitji people
of western Australia. He started his musical carrier
at the age of ten, and has since become to one of
the most prominent pioneers of didgeridoo music.
His musical skills allow him to play a wide variety
of music styles, be it as a solo performer or an
ensemble player. Mark has performed around the world
and has played with a diversity of musicians, bands
and ensembles such as Philip Glass, Led Zeppelin
and the London Philharmonic. He is also a gifted
guitarist, percussionist, painter, instrument crafter
and story teller. |
|
|
 |
|
Stephen
Kent was born in Devon, England, and spent much
of his childhood in eastern Africa. When he moved
back to London he started his first band, Furious
Punk, a noisy punk group. With his musical horizon
widening, he worked as a musical director of a travelling
theatre companionship touring Australia where he
first learned about the didgeridoo. Since then he
has developed himself as an important advocate of
the didgeridoo as a contemporary instrument. He
co-formed bands like Trance Mission and Beasts of
Paradise, and played with musicians like Youssou
N'Dour, Herbie Hancock and King Sunny Ade. |
|
|
 |
|
Lies
Beijerinck and Michiel
Teijgeler both got introduced to the didgeridoo
in the early nineties, when Holland was still largly
oblivious to the instrument. They were instantly
struck by the unique sound and the musical capabilities
of the instrument. After Michiel travels through
Europe as a street musician and plays in several
bands, and Lies spends a year in Australia, and
plays in several bands as well, they form 3ple-D
(Triple Dee) in 1999. Their sound is characterized
by innovative sounds and playing techniques, and
is influenced by Brazilian samba, Togolese and Ghanese
bell patterns, Cuban 'son' rhythms and modern dancemusic.
They recently released their first studio cd. |
|
|
 |
|
Charlie
McMahon started playing the didgeridoo at a
very young age, long before the instrument gained
popularity among the western population of Australia.
When he was sixteen he lost part of his right arm
in an accident, which motivated him even more to
master the didgeridoo. After a brief academic career
and his encounter with the nomadic
'Lost Tribe' of Pintubi aboriginals, he formed
Gondwanaland in 1983. Pioneering contemporary didgeridoo
music the band was later renamed to Gondwana, and
in all recorded nine albums to date. He is also
very well known for his performances in the nineties
with Australian desert rockers Midnight Oil. |
|
|
 |
|
Wild
Marmalade is an innovative dance trio featuring
the talented Si
Mullumbi on the didgeridoo. During his travels
across Australia he was already widely appreciated
as a solo artist for his dancable mix of percussive
vocal beats and deep dronal grooves. Along with
Matt Goodwin on drums and Matt Ledgar on percussion,
Wild Marmalade brings energetic and organic dance
music which without the use of samples and electronic
instruments fits perfectly well in todays modern
dance scene. |
|
|
 |
|
Ganga
Giri was born in Australia and was a serious
percussionist at the age of eight. At this young
age he already became strongly influenced by African
percussion, Indian folk music, traditional Aboriginal
music, reggae, rap and all kinds of dance music.
He taught himself to master one of his favourite
instruments, the didgeridoo, to a level that his
modern style of playing was appreciated by the elders
of the Yolngu tribe, in spite of the cultural differences.
His uplifting, 'manic-organic' didgeridoo sound,
accompanied bij both traditional and electronic
percussion, brings the didgeridoo to new, highly
dancable heights. |
|
|
 |
|
Alan
Dargin was raised in the north of Arnhemland.
He started playing didgeridoo when he was only five
years old, being taught by his grandfather. His
traditional background didn't prevent him to experiment
with all kinds of musical influences and playing
techniques and to become one of the most prominent
ambassadors of modern didgeridoo music. His intense
affiliation with the instrument combined with his
musical talent make him a true musical virtuoso,
which makes us even more delighted to welcome him
at the last moment to the group of musicians performing
at the Dream.Time festival. |
|
| |
|
|
|
At this year's Dream.Time Festival there will be an
exhibition of Aboriginal Art called 'Tingari Cycles'.
The majority of these paintings are from the central
region of the Australian desert and are known as Central
Desert Art, Dreamings or Dreamtime Paintings.
During the Tjukurrpa, the period in time Aboriginals
refer to als the creation era, Tingari ancestral beings
gathered at a series of sites for Malliera, initiation
ceremonies. They traveled vast stretches of the country,
performing rituals at specific sites that in turn created
the diverse natural features of the environment.
The creation stories and rituals are worshipped in
the song cycles and ceremonies of today, forming part
of the teachings of the post initatory youths, whilst
also providing explanations for contemporary customs.
The Tingari can be considered as a group of mythical
characters of the Dreamtime, who respresent the ancient
and secret post initiatory higher education which Aboriginal
men of the region undergo. Some of these teaching are
conveyed in lengthy song cycles, or through the symbols
and patterns of Aboriginal art. The meaning of these
symbols are generally known, but every artist has its
own personal interpretation of them. Therefore, only
the artist can give a full explanation of the work.
Given the sacred nature of these works, this will rarely
be shared with non initiated people, but sometimes parts
of the Dreamtime stories are revealed.
Paintings like these will be displayed during the exhibit.
Featured artists include Johnny Warankula, Turkey Tolson,
Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, Timmy Payunka and Clifford Possom,
but works of lesser known artists are also on display.
All of the paintings are from the Aboriginal Art & Instruments
collection.
|
|
|
|
Dream.Time Events from Berlin, Germany has been organising
events around Aboriginal culture for many years now.
Their Berlin edition of the Dream.Time festival draws
around 5000 visitors every year. This year they joined
forces with Aboriginal Art & Instruments to give Amsterdam
its own version of this successful event. Visit Dream.Time
Events' website at http://www.dreamtime-events.de.
For those who haven't met us yet: Aboriginal
Art & Instrument is an Amsterdam based shop that
has been importing top quality didgeridoos for seven
years. These authentic eucalypt didgeridoos are specially
made for us in Australia. The musical quality of our
instruments is known throughout the world. Apart from
didgeridoos Aboriginal Art & Instruments has a large
collection of Aboriginal art from both famed and relatively
unknown Aboriginal artists, and offers a large variety
of related articles and objects.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
