[Laughs]. My partner and I were talking the other night.
Wewere driving. I think our daughter had fallen asleep
andwewere like, “Let’s just keep driving and let her
havea bitofa snooze.”Andwearebroughtup talking about culture in a really contemporary
way.Hisfamily’sfromtheTorresStraitbutthey were the first wave of climate change
refugeesinthe’50s.Andhismumgrewupon the mainland up in Bamaga and he grew up
inRoma,WesternQueensland.Asfarawayfrom a salt water island as you could possibly
be.Sothere’sa lotofreclaimingandre-finding knowledge and culture that we engage in
togetherandthroughcreativepractice.And we were talking about this thing ’cause he’s
alsospenta lotoftimeoutbushina remote community. And we’re talking about how,
outthere,theLoreandtheDreamingisactually very focused on the fact that time is not
linear.Sothereisn’tthepast,thepresentand the future in the way that we think about it.
Thenwegottoparalleluniversesandquantum physics and how does quantum physics
andthatunderstandingoftheworldsitinthe context of Aboriginal Lore? ’Cause they’re
sayingverysimilarthings.Andwewerehaving a joke and were like, what if the climate
changeagendaandthethingsthataregoing on at the moment, we’re looking at it like it’s
a futureproblem.Whatifit’snot?Whatifit’s something that actually happened in the
past?AndwhatifwhatwecallourOldPeople and our old ways is actually in front of us?
AndsothisissomeofthewaysthatAboriginal Lore and different concepts of time and
spacehelpsmethinkabouttheproblemsthat we’re going through. Because I do believe
thatthisisallintheplan.Eventheinvasion. And I know there are certain parts of the
communitythatcouldneverhavethatconversation, and it’s a scary thing to say out loud.TheBritishinvasion of Australia. The colonisation of Australia.
Mymumisa very spiritual woman. And she has a good laugh
aboutthingstoo. We’re laughers. But she’s like, “What if we called
Cookin?”AndI waslike,“Mum,whatdoyou mean?” [Laughs]. And she’s like, “Well we’re
deliberatecreators,we’reconsciousbeings,we’re the ultimate manifesters of everything.
Wecreatedtheearth.That’sourDreaming,that’s our Lore. What if we called this other energy
in’causewe’veactuallygoneasfaraswepossibly could in terms of our own advancement
andweneededthismassiveintensehitofcontrast and suffering to be able to expand even
further?”Andthisperiodthatwethinkisso permanent and real right now is really only a
250-yearperiodandwhatweknowis,youknow, 120,000-plus years, so it’s just a blip. I think
havingthoseconversationsandleaninginto the Lore of it, and how we can think about time
andspacedifferently,itreallyhelpsmefeel less guilty about taking time out when I need to.Yes. Absolutely. We know that in a cultural Lore
sense, so what if we take those two things, those
two Dreamings and approach something like
climate change with that thought. Then how we
thinkabouttheearthanditswellnessiscritically important. Only focusing on the bits that
arebrokenwillleadtomorebrokenbits.I know that sounds really, really intense. And radical.
Butit’salsolike,wedohaveanobligationto shine a light on the things that are working.No. And you know we might be having that
conversation as the ship sinks, who knows. But
atleast in that moment we are giving it everything
that we’ve got in terms of belief and hope and
positivity.Becausetheurgencyhasitsownquality.The
urgencyridesus.I’ma hobbyhorsefortheurgency.Foranyonewho’sreadingthisaroundthe
world,whatdoyoumeanbytheinvasion?I lovethat.I’vebeentalkingtosomequantumphysicists,
andthat’sdeepsciencethatthey’rereallyunderstanding
nowthatconsciousnesscomesbeforematter.I thinkyou’re 100 percentrightbecauseif thereisn’ta
restorationnarrative,if wecan’tfindit now,wellthere’s
nothingbutdestructiontoleaninto.There’snothingbut
watchingtheworldgodown.Andthat’snotcreative.
That’snotgenerative.That’snotwhatlifeis.46
LYDIA FAIRHALL
DUMBO FEATHER