Meditation on Country
Angie Abdilla, Old Ways New
The Edge State Library of Queensland
Opening 24 June 5:30 – 8:00
Exhibition 24 – 28 June
Artist Statement
Meditation on Country brings together Indigenous knowledges and Western astrophysics through charting Creation time and evolutionary events. The talk will share the cultural and creative development process for the immersive experience generated through this artwork. Using scientific and cultural datasets with an array of early Machine Learning models to LLM models and trained through cultural programming protocols, this work uses foundational insights from the Indigenous Protocols for Artificial Intelligence (IP//AI) research developed over the past six years. We will explore how the artwork’s space and earth data visualisations and sonification interrogate technology as a cultural practice and the role of resonance, language, and story within the context of evolution and Creation.
Artist Biography
Angie Abdilla, palawa, is a Professor at the Australian National University’s School of Cybernetics, working with Indigenous knowledges, systems, and technology as a cultural practice. Angie’s research has been engaged with relationality, design, and technology as cultural practice, specifically within automation. Originally trained as a film director, her artworks are exhibited as documentaries, video installations, and digital works. Angie is the Founder and Director of Old Ways, New: a culture and technology consultancy where she created the strategic design methodology, Country Centered Design, leading projects for the public and private sectors over the past decade.
Credits
Angie Abdilla
Featuring: Uncle Ghillar Michael Anderson, Aunty Bronwyn Penrith, Eric Avery, Emma Donovan and Kirli Saunders.
Composition and Sound Design: James Brown
Programming: Kieran Browne
Astrophysics Consultants: Distinguished Professor Brian Schmidt AC FRS FAA FTSE, Professor Ghillar Michael Anderson Euahlayi, and Karlie Noon Gamilaraay (PhD).
Made possible by the Australian National University, School of Cybernetics Residency Program.