Overlooking the rolling green hills of Wurundjeri Country beyond Naarm's north-east fringes, First Nations language reclamation will resonate on this afternoon of music, sound and art.
On May 30, internationally acclaimed, experimental and through-provoking artists will perform for The Velocity of Language at TarraWarra Museum of Art, presenting textural soundscapes of place, improvisation and experimentation.
Bidjara-Irish-Chinese artist Dr Christian Thompson leads the afternoon performance.
Dr Thompson AO has exhibited across leading Australian and international galleries, from London's Royal Academy of Arts to the United Arab Emirates and Sydney Biennale.
From sculpture to photography and video in the visual arts and on into sound, with cultural identity a major theme, Dr Thompson is renowned in Australian contemporary art circles.
Throughout its history, over 900 years, the University of Oxford had never admitted an Aboriginal Australian. Dr Thompson was the first in 2010.
At The Velocity of Language, Dr Thompson offers the rare opportunity to see a live survey of his vocal and sound works.
"I'm delighted to be presenting 'Recital' as part of The Velocity of Language at TarraWarra Museum of Art. Over the past two decades, my practice has explored the relationship between sound, performance, and my traditional language, Bidjara, within contemporary art," Dr Thompson told National Indigenous Times.
"Recital brings this ongoing body of work into live performance and musical iterations of sound works, foregrounding language as a living cultural presence carried through voice, memory, and experimentation.
NSW duo Sumn Conduit and amby downs — sound project of Yuwalaraay and Gamilaraay artist Tahlia Palmer, will also perform on the afternoon.
One half of Sumn Conduit is Dharawal vocalist, composer and writer Sonya Holowel, who pairs with synthesist and composer Ben Carey.
The pair blend visuals with improvisation and composed material in their soundscape work.
amby downs presents a sensory explosion of anti-colonial sounds utlising environmental recordings alongside film score-like drones, with works ranging anywhere from 90 seconds to over 30 minutes.
TarraWarra are billing the event as a powerful showcase of artists "working at the precipice of language revitalisation, sound art and experimental music."
Liam Keenan is a Gomeroi curator based on Dharawal Country in NSW.
He is also the curator of The Velocity of Language.
Mr Keenan told National Indigenous Times Dr Thompson, Sumn Conduit and amby downs are among "the most forward-thinking Indigenous music artists working today".
"Their practices showcase an innovative layering of language revitalisation and experimentation, and boldly show that First Nations artists are innovating at the precipice of a new creative paradigm," he said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a small number of tickets online remain for the event.
Return buses leaving Fed Square in Naarm CBD are available, and depart a midday, Saturday May 30.
