The Spirit of Things: Looking Back, Looking Forward

  • Author(s)
    Stiff Gins
  • Category
    Museullaneous
  • Published
    12 February 2013
  • Read time
    2 minutes

The Spirit of Things - Sound of Objects' is a research, history, arts and cultural project that explores residual and embedded stories and songs retained in Aboriginal cultural material. The projects creators (known as The Spirit of This Collective) will sit with objects held in the Australian Museum and listen as they tell their story. They will then interpret those sounds into song and image and release them into the world where again they can breathe and speak.

It’s the final day at the Museum and we’re all buzzing with creative energy from the experience. Over the past few days there were objects that resonated with each of us for different reasons and as I write these recollections, my mind is still processing what my heart and head witnessed over the three days.

Our last debrief and writing session confirmed that we are on a journey for artistic fulfilment rather than simply making an album of contemporary songs. The Spirit of Things Collective is so much more focused on the process of listening and feeling and adopting a lateral approach to writing music.

This experience with the objects is new for us. I’m learning about my identity – where my place is in this old country and trusting my intuition. This process has instilled the importance of taking a moment to breathe, trust and listen and I might just hear back something very special.

As humans we breathe the vibrations of this country without always hearing what it’s got to say. The message I’m getting is ‘stop, listen and they will speak’.

The next exciting stage for Spirit of Things Collective is to head away from the city to a secluded farmhouse in the Southern Highlands and record soundscape ‘songs’. We’ll pack our cars with as much recording and musical equipment as we can, chocolate supplies and gum boots and we’ll spend the time together giving the stories from the objects new air to breathe through music and sound.

Please check out the Youtube clip that documents our visual memories with the Indigenous Collections and find us on Facebook as Spirit Of Things Collective.

Peace and creativity,

Syd Green, The Spirit of Things Collective