Djanga – Spirit
Location
Cliff Street, Fremantle / Walyalup
Dates
Dates
Saturday 9 August - Sunday 9 November 2025
A digital projection experience and photo exhibition combining new portraiture of Wardandi Elders.
This exhibition brings together the multiple collaborations of photo-artist Martine Perret with Wardandi Elder Vivian Brockman Webb, Wardandi Cultural Custodian Mitchella Hutchins and her daughter Mabenan Hutchins, music composer and audiovisual artist Roly Skender, with the voice of Pascal Veyradier.
Featuring photographs and projections of the land, night and smoke created during Perret's explorations, it connects the Margaret River region (Wardandi Boodja) with stories around Djanga – Spirit shared by Elders.
Wardandi spirituality is rooted in the deep connection between the human and spiritual sphere. Wardandi people's bond with nature and boodja (Country) is a profound connection to the spiritual entities associated with the land. The concept of 'kora' (the distant past) remains intricately linked to 'yey' (the present).
This connection is expressed through the care for 'boodja' and respecting lore, passed down through generations via an oral tradition of storytelling.
Exclusive event - Artist talk
Join us for an exclusive artist's talk event on the opening weekend of this exhibition. Hear from artist Martine Perret where she gives special insight into the development, creative community, and artwork outcomes of this spectacular art project.
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Saturday 9 August 2025 | 1pm – 2pm
- Free event | Bookings required
The subjects and their families play an intrinsic role in the selection of material for Djanga — Spirit. Each participant authorises the use of their narratives, songs and photographs in this exhibition.
Artist Bios
Martine Perret is a photographic artist who was born in Paris, and now lives and works from her base in Margaret River. She is known for her startlingly beautiful portrayal of the Western Australian landscape, often employing aerial captures and portraiture to tell important stories of our times. Her approach to artistic work is based on a career in photojournalism, including a decade covering UN peacekeeping missions in conflict zones, in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Timor-Leste and West Africa where she documented the Ebola crisis.
Recent major projects emphasise the importance of First Nations' languages. These include Ngala Wongga (Come Talk) - Cultural Significance of Languages in the Goldfields, which was exhibited at the Australian embassy in Paris for the International Year of Indigenous Languages and Belong - Language Connecting Feeling, Culture, Country at the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip.
Roly Skender is a Western Australian audiovisual artist and producer renowned for his innovative work with sound, video projection and new media technologies. His video projection artworks have transformed urban and natural landscapes into mesmerising light spectacles since 2014.
Notable projects include the interactive digital performer ‘The Virtual Busker’, the large-scale projection series ‘If Buildings Could Speak’, and the immersive oceanic experience of LightWaves. In December 2022, Skender’s collaboration with Wardandi Elders and photographer Martine Perret, Wannang Biridge, was showcased at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to inaugurate the Decade of Indigenous Languages. Skender also contributes visual design to theatre and performance, continually pushing the boundaries of technology and art in diverse spaces.
Elder Bios
Vivian ‘Dwardinan’ Brockman Webb, Wardandi Elder and artist. Vivian Webb is a Dordenup Wardandi matriarch Elder of the South West region of Western Australia.
Vivian was born in Busselton in Wardan country. Vivian’s great great great grandmother was known as ‘Sugar Rag’ of Beenup by the early settlers. She was from the tribal area boundaries around Beenup, Mileanup, Lake Quijup, Black point, Lake Jasper and the areas around Scott River National Park.
Lake Quijup was also known as being a major camping ground which Sugar Rag shared with her great great aunty Nandinnong who was also known as ‘Queen Jinny’ and her husband, who is Vivian’s great great uncle Bungitch Oniongoot, also known as ‘King Bungitch’.
Mitchella Hutchins is a prominent Aboriginal businesswoman and mother of four children. She is the eldest grandchild of Vilma and George Webb who bestowed upon her the responsibility of cultural caretaker and knowledge sharer. Mitchella was a presenter on GWN7’s Milbindi program and has lectured at Western Australian university’s on Indigenous topics and issues.
She is a foster parent to over twenty children, manages her business, Waljin Consultancy, and created an online learning package for Indigenous cultural awareness training. Mitchella wants community values to be rediscovered by caring for community and country and believes building a healthy community is essential to tackling many issues affecting people in the South West of Western Australia. She is currently part of the Perth festival Noongar Advisory Circle.
