Murmurations is this year’s Hyde Park Barracks annual art commission, created in response to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site’s history as a hub of forced migration.
The digital artwork encompasses two separate First Nations points of view to explore the history of Hyde Park Barracks, which was built by convict labour, through the lens of Indigeneity.
First Nations artist Tony Albert and Sāmoan–Australian artist Angela Tiatia created the work in conjunction with Lille Madden, Corin Ileto and Alina Olivares-Panucci. Murmurations will seek to ask what we have to give each other, rather than what we want to take away. The work revolves around encounters and exploration, not through politics, but through engagement, ceremony and love.
The exhibition runs from March 30 until June 4 and will be accompanied by a curated program of talks, performances and workshops to help deepen visitors' understanding of the artwork and the site as a whole.
Visitors can make their own love token or lei using recycled materials. They can also hear from artist Tony Albert at the First Nations speaker series, engage in First Nations weaving practices at the Weaving a Connection to Culture workshop, or head to the Community Cultural Festival on Sunday, May 28. The full program is available at the Museums of History NSW website.
Murmurations is commissioned by Museums of History NSW.
