The Dreaming Holds Us, 2024

Shadow Puppetry on Screen

Using shadow puppetry on overhead projection and multiplane stop-motion animation, this piece reflects on the Bathurst martial law as a cosmic Dreaming event.

There are memories that live in the landscape, in the stories we tell, and in the living survivors. This piece explores glimpses into the eternal Dreamtime where the creator spirits hold us, strong in times of great change and devastation, connected for time everlasting.

In the extramundane void, we meet Windradyne, the spirit of Wahluu (Mt Panorama), and the Wiradjuri totem, Gugaa (Goanna) as they guide us through battle, offer their their wisdom, and hold us through our survival and loss. 

Made on commission from Bathurst Regional Art Gallery for the 2024 exhibition ‘Dhuluny: The War That Never Ended’. Created by Bria McCarthy