Arts Precinct

Birrarung

Chinatown

Midtown

Satellite

Free

$20 and under

$50 and under

$75 and under

Over $75

Assisted Access

Assisted listening

Audio described tours

Auslan translation

Captioning

Wheelchair Accessible

Mask required

| Venue| Flinders Street Station Ballroom. Enter via door at 273 Flinders Street, near Boost Juice |
| --- | --- |
| Dates| Open every day 10AM—8PM (Last entry at 7.20PM) Closed public holidays| 
| Accessibility Services | Audio Described tour to be announced |
| Duration | Please allow 1 hour for exploration |
| Price | $32—$36 + booking fee, persons under 12 enter free |
| Note | Face masks are a requirement of entry |
| Pram Parking | Prams can be left on level 2 but will not be able to be taken into the main exhibition on level 3 |

Event Information

Entry is via Flinders Street Station at the Elizabeth Street end, near the Boost Juice.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING 

Street accessible parking bays are available on Flinders Street opposite the entrance to the Station. 

ACCESSIBLE DROP OFF

A major taxi rank is opposite the station on Flinders Street, and also on Swanston Street outside Flinders Street Station.

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE 

A DDA compliant ramp will provide access from street level at the main entry point on Flinders Street. Lift access is available to Level 3 and there is one accessible toilet on this level. Guest Services Staff will be available to visitors who require any assistance. 

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM

There is a hybrid ambulant toilet located on the third floor. There is also an accessible automatic toilet available on Flinders Street close to the exhibition entrance.

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANT

Under 250m.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train station: The exhibition is housed within Flinders Street Station, which provides access to all Melbourne metro services.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Stop 5: Flinders Street Station, Swanston St (routes 35, 70 and 75) is directly in front of the station building housing the exhibition. Stop 13: Flinders Street Station (routes 1, 3, 3a, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72) is adjacent to the station on Swanston Street.

Venue Access

__Q. Is the exhibition suitable for children and families?__

A. This is a subjective question–we think Patricia Piccinini’s fantastical creatures inspire curiosity and empathy. The themes of the exhibition include resilience, care and an optimistic future. You know your kids and family best and what’s appropriate for them. We suggest checking out her [previous work](https://www.patriciapiccinini.net/495/76#) on her website and maybe [doing a google](https://www.google.com/search?q=patricia+piccinini&sxsrf=ALeKk00ecgVu3fmr5KxAuhzAe-MvR9x13Q:1615324545199&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZktrtkKTvAhWL4jgGHbdsAucQ_AUoAXoECBoQAw&biw=1900&bih=798). 

__Q. Can I bring my pram?__

A. We can offer limited pram parking on level 2. Unfortunately prams are unable to proceed to the main exhibition on level 3 due to capacity and space issues.  

__Q. Who are the authorised ticket sellers for this event?__

A. RISING is the only authorised ticket seller for the exhibition at Flinders Street Station. 

__Q. My preferred time/day is sold out. Can I just show up?__

A. No, please book your ticket in advance.

__Q. What time do I need to arrive before my session?__

A. As we are staggering entry to manage numbers, we ask that you arrive as close as possible to your allocated time.   

__Q. Is there wheelchair access to the venue?__

A. Yes, there is. Further information on how to access the venue will be provided to ticket holders closer to the event. 

Frequently Asked Questions

We’re working closely with the Department of Health to bring you a safe and fun experience. Before attending, please check Victorian public exposure sites [here](https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites); and follow recommendations, including getting tested. If you need to isolate - stay at home and let our customer service team know ASAP at ticketing@rising.melbourne. 

Help keep everyone safe by wearing your mask, washing and sanitising your hands, maintaining social distancing where possible, and staying home and getting tested if you have the mildest of symptoms. 

Check your ticket for your session time and aim to arrive at the entry as close to your time as possible. We'll be carefully managing the capacity inside the exhibition, so you may be asked to wait a short while to enter certain spaces. 

It is a condition of entry that all patrons over 12 wear a mask. If you refuse to wear a mask you will be refused entry. If you have a medical exemption please let the team know on arrival. 

COVID-Safe Information

Lead artist: Patricia Piccinini

Company: Drome Studio

Artistic Team

This program was supported by the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an  Australian Government initiative.

Commissioned by RISING.

Supporters

## LATEST UPDATE
### The exhibition re-opened on Friday 18 June
---

Trains speed in and out of Flinders Street Station, cutting through what were once the Birrarung’s fertile banks teeming with diverse species. But hidden above the station’s platforms, new life forms are emerging.

After holding Melbourne’s imagination for decades, the mysterious Flinders Street Station ballroom (and its surrounding hidden rooms) will open to the public to become *A Miracle Constantly Repeated*—an eco-system of hyper-real silicone sculptures, video, sound and light devised by Patricia Piccinini.

Working on the border of art and science, Piccinini has spent close to three decades exploring humanity’s relationship to technology and the environment. Her work has been exhibited at major Australian and international institutions and events including the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane; and the Vancouver and Venice biennales.

For her first extensive hometown show in almost two decades, Australia’s foremost visual artist will augment the ballroom’s architecture with enormous dioramas, sentient saplings, nurturing marine mammals and enormous life-sustaining foliage.

In *A Miracle Constantly Repeated*, technology and nature coexist and combine. It’s an empathetic vision of the future built on resilience and care.

Entry is via door at 273 Flinders Street, near Boost Juice.

Flinders Street Station Ballroom

Comedy Theatre 

Melbourne Town Hall

Chapter House

  Max Watts

The Capitol – RMIT

Artist Bar

Diorama

The Couple

La Brava

Hidden for decades, Flinders Street Station’s mysterious ballroom opens its doors for Australia’s pre-eminent visual artist.

Patricia Piccinini

Please note it is compulsory to wear a mask inside this exhibition. 

A Miracle Constantly Repeated

“Working on *Wandering Stars* has been a truly amazing journey of creative discovery. The research has covered astronomy, astrophysics, First Peoples aquaculture systems and cosmic creation stories from all over the world. From the infinite expanse of the skies above, to the tiniest, most delicate and star like bones making up the eel's skeletal structure, the whole project’s development has been fascinating.”

| Venue | Northern side of the Birrarung (Yarra River) |
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Wed 26 May—Sun 6 June, 5.15PM—late |
| Accessibility Services | A pre-recorded Audio Description tour via Soundcloud will be available | 
| Duration | Please leave 1 hour for exploration | 
| Price | Free, no tickets required |

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

Parking is available in the Federation Square Car Park with entrances located at the Russell Street Extension, or off Batman Avenue. The Federation Square Car Park is open 24hrs and has accessible spaces located next to the lift on each level.

ACCESSIBLE DROP OFF

Guests can be dropped off in the Russell Street Extension, near the roundabout and either take the stairs (to the right), or the car park elevator (to the left) to the ground level.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train station: Flinders Street Station, opposite Federation Square, services all metro train lines.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Flinders Street Station and St Kilda Road (Arts Centre) - Tram routes 1, 3-3a, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 and 72. Corner of Russell and Flinders Street - Tram routes 35, 70 and 75.

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANT

The water installations will cover a total distance of 400 metres along the northern side of the Birrarung. The first installation will begin at Federation Wharf, just on the east side of Princes Street Bridge and will continue for 200 metres. The second installation will begin on the east side of the Angel sculpture and will continue for 200 metres, finishing before the Swan Street Bridge.

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE

The outdoor River District sites within Birrarung Marr and the River Terrace are wheelchair accessible, with lift access also available at the corner of Princes Bridge on Swanston Street.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS

Accessible bathrooms are available at Federation Square next to the Time Out Cafe.

HEARING AUGMENTATION

There will be a sound system for the installations in the Yarra River which will play a sound scape.

DOG SPENDING/REST AREAS

Yes – everywhere along the river.

We are working with the Victorian Government and the Department of Health to deliver a COVID-Safe event for visitors, artists and staff. Find out what we're doing [here](https://rising.melbourne/covid-safe). 

[Public Event Attestation](https://exhibitionist-rising.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/PDFs/COVID/RedactedVersion_COVIDSafe+Public+Event+Attestation_WanderingStars_UpdatedChecklist.pdf)

Artistic Director: Jo Pocock

Artist: Gavin Lewery

Lighting Designer: Rob Hill

Artist: Ewan Hunter

Project Director: Jackie Swanson 

Sound Composition: Harry Covill

Lighting Design Concept: Rob Hill (Form Imagination)

Lighting Design: Scott Snowden (Form Imagination)

Stories and observations about the Birrarung, eels and the stars by artist and scholar N’arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs, Indigenous writer, historian, and activist Tony Birch & Wurundjeri cultural leader and artist Mandy Nicholson - recorded and edited by Harry Covill from interviews by Daniel Browning.

Community Lantern Artists: Mahony Kiely, Gay Chatfield, Jessica Walters and 
Sue Davis, Tim Denshire-Key

Commissioned by RISING. 

Supported by The Dara Foundation.

This project was supported by the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative.

__Lead Artists__
Mahony Kiely, Jessica Walters, Gay Chatfield, Tim Denshire-Key, Sue Davis

__Northcote Art Classes__
__Community Leader Sue Davis__
__Participants:__
Matilda Sarr-Quinn, Alex Delaney, Arthur Bissland, Francesca Thomas, Byron Paff Tranquille, Alessia Campisi, Jarrah Gibson, Nadia DiVincenzo, Mason Lee, Quin Waters-Dewar, Ellee Hurt, Emily Hartley, Otis West, Finn Dalling, Maya Sheehan, Holly Carr, Sarah Potter, Zoe d’Abbs, Mary McKie, Dali Rantall-Kitzi, Amber Bruce
Beau Bell, Riana Moussi, Rafi Song, Archie Harrison, Lucinda Harrison, Gabriel, Russo, Zaki Mekawy, Toby Marshall, Donna Lee, Isra Colangelo, Alex James, Marly James, Hannah Kelly, Charlotte Nance, Sue Davis

__Students of Prahran High School__
__Community Leader Lara Karasavvidis__

__Year 5/6 students at Collingwood College__
__Community Leader__ 
__Angela Dionysopoulos__

__Country Women’s Association__ 
__Community Leader - Margot Foster__ 
Bethany Murray Collingwood Children's Farm Priya Gandhi, Collingwood CWA Belinda R from Collingwood CWA, Jimena Valencia Collingwood CWA, Michelle Fidler CWA Alphington Branch, Robyn Hodge CWA Alphington Branch, Lorena Felicetti CWA Alphington Branch, Claire Bowen CWA Alphington Branch,
Bev O’Sullivan Collingwood CWA, Melissa Morrison, President of Ararat branch CWA, Bethany Murray, Collingwood Children's Farm, Helen Hambling, Collingwood CWA, Annie Murphy CWA Essendon, Georgina Manning

__Arts Access Victoria__
__Way Out West__
Annette Attard, Melissa Caggegi, Jeremy Lindhe, Natalia Lopez, Dragan Mickov, Kate Niddrie, Christopher O’Keeffe, Marc Sorbello

__Arts Access Victoria__
__Get Out studio artists__
__Community Leader – Kate Stodart__

__Arts Access Victoria__
__Nimbus Studio Artists__
__Community Leader – Myf Powell__ 
Fina Po, Marnie Woods, Aleshanee Faery, Kate Symons, Milly Cooper, Bridgette, Fiona Taylor, Nicole Tsourlenes, Angelina, Lauren Spark, Raymond Martin

__Arts Access Victoria__
__Art About Studio Artists__

__Made to Create Inc.__
__Melbourne Creative Professionals__
__St Cath's Creative Hub__

__Students from RMIT University__
Ananya Jalali, Dawei Cao, Eliza Browne, Haoqi Hong, James Du, Jee Sun Sunny Lee, Jess Henderson, Jordan Moorhead, Kim Charles Mason, Leyan Jin, Marcus Lightbody, Morgan Murphy Cremasco, Mika Wilhelms, Nicola Ellin, Nelson Davies, Tom Price, Sunny Tai, Stefanie Caroline Lie, William Wallis

__Sponsors:__
Pride Productions, St Cath's Anglican
__Participants:__
Glenda Chi, Eugene Wong, John Englezos, Andrew Liu, Gabby Willmott, James Pletch, Lisa Wolper, Fiona Ap Rhys, Ines Hemmings, Mien Tan, Prerana Singha, Matthew Lambert 

__Platform Youth Arts__ 
__Community Leader – Rachel Morley__

__Saay Harari Australian Association__
Ammar Samir, Muaz Samir, Ammar Abdallah, Hamza Abdallah, Walid Alwan, Aisha Alwan, Aisha Rafiq, Ihsan Bayan, Adil Alwan, Sabrin Arif, Nadine Hamdi, Iman Abdulhakim, Khalid Ahmadin, Hala Hamdi, Rowina Nasir, Rayan Nasir, Samih Muhammad, Shakib Ahmad, Abdullahi Abdulhamid, Adam Bayan

__Islamic Museum Australia__

__Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (ANVAM)__

__Lighthouse Arts Collective Point Lonsdale__
Lucia Human, Jodie Carty, Marion Benfell, Rachel Robinson, Coral Kenwood, Thomas Frankpitt, Tracy Watt, Kirsten Rowe, Margo Pettit, Dee Collings, Felicity Case
Catherine Caldwell, Xavier Cadorel, Fe Cadorel, Debbie Stephens, Sally Low, Victoria Stewart, Siân H, Anna Gowers, Greta Devincentis, Collette Stewart
Sally Wood, Stephanie Caldwell, Donna Tedoldi


Community Lantern Workshop participants

## SHOW UPDATE

It’s Reconciliation Week and while the festival is paused for now, in the spirit of amplifying First Peoples voices, [*The Rivers Sing*](festival-program/the-rivers-sing) will continue to echo through the skies at sunset and the Birrarung will light up each night with *Wandering Stars* and [*Ancestral Memory*](festival-program/ancestral-memory). 

A small symbol of solidarity to our city in lockdown and the traditional owners who continue to care for it. We ask that you don’t travel to the works, but consider experiencing them if you are exercising within 5km of your home.

---

When you look up at night, the stars and sky contain ancient, unifying stories. For *Wandering Stars*, those lessons materialise on the Birrarung (Yarra River) as an undulating, over 200-metre-long, glowing eel skeleton. 

The installation illuminates the eel’s astonishing migratory journey from local inland waterways to the deepest depths of the Coral Sea and features an enigmatic soundscape; a full lunar cycle of 28 incandescent moons rising from the river; tangles of glowing glass eels; and hundreds of floating lanterns made by the community, under the supervision of Liverpool’s internationally exhibited, public-art makers The Lantern Company. 

As you wander along riverbanks with family and friends—feasting on fire-roasted snacks from RISING’s kitchens in Birrarung Marr—you’ll connect with First Peoples knowledge of the land, sea, sky and river on which we all live. 

Birrarung Marr

Herring Island

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

ArtPlay

The River South East

The River Eat & Drink

The River East

At an ancient meeting place on the Birrarung’s (Yarra River) banks, you’ll find the sky’s stories mirrored by a giant glowing eel and hundreds of lanterns floating on the river’s tide.  

The Lantern Company

Wandering Stars

| Venue | Hamer Hall Façade |
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Wed 26 May—Sun 6 June, from sunset to midnight |
| Duration | 3 minutes approx |
| Price | Free |

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

Both levels of the Arts Centre Melbourne Car Park are fully wheelchair accessible, and have accessible parking bays.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train station: Flinders Street Railway Station, opposite Federation Square, services all metro train lines.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Stop 14, St Kilda Road.

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANT

Under 200m.

We are working with the Victorian Government and the Department of Health to
deliver a COVID-Safe event for visitors, artists and staff. Find out what we're doing [here](https://rising.melbourne/covid-safe).

Commissioned by RISING and Arts Centre Melbourne.

## SHOW UPDATE

It’s Reconciliation Week and while the festival is paused for now, in the spirit of amplifying First Peoples voices, [*The Rivers Sing*](festival-program/the-rivers-sing) will continue to echo through the skies at sunset and the Birrarung will light up each night with [*Wandering Stars*](/festival-program/wandering-stars) and *Ancestral Memory*. 

A small symbol of solidarity to our city in lockdown and the traditional owners who continue to care for it. We ask that you don’t travel to the works, but consider experiencing them if you are exercising within 5km of your home.

---

On its mysterious journey, the eel crosses land, river and sea, taking on many forms on its path to maturity. For the peoples of the Kulin Nation the eel is a protector spirit, food source, seasonal marker and timekeeper; the metaphor of the Spirit Eel connects time and place, a story of resilience and adaptation that has been pushed below the surface but never lost.  

*Ancestral Memory* is a physical manifestation of the Spirit Eel, a huge digital projection weaving its way across the façade of Hamer Hall, by interdisciplinary artists Maree Clarke (Mutti Mutti/Yorta Yorta/BoonWurrung) and Mitch Mahoney (BoonWurrung/Barkinji).  

Maree’s work explores the customary ceremonies, rituals and language of her ancestors and reveals her long held ambitions to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue about the ongoing effects of colonisation. For *Ancestral Memory* Maree collaborates with her nephew Mitch, an artist whose own work specialises in the revitalisation of South-Eastern First Peoples practices, to further those ambitions across generations. 

Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Arts Centre Melbourne

Hamer Hall

  Malthouse Workshop

Melbourne Recital Centre

  NGV International

Queensbridge Square

A Spirit Eel slithers across the façade of Hamer Hall, connecting time and place. 

In partnership with Arts Centre Melbourne

Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney

Ancestral Memory

| Dates | Wed 26 May—Sun 6 June, self-guided tour |
| --- | --- |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Price | Free |
| Note | Start your tour from the corner of Smith and Stanley Streets. |

Face masks are now required for patrons 12 years and older at RISING indoor venues. By entering a RISING venue you agree to wear a mask, if you refuse to do so you may be denied entry or asked to leave. As announced by the Victorian Government, face masks are mandatory in indoor settings for all patrons 12 years and over.

We are working with the Victorian Government and the Department of Health to deliver a COVID-Safe event for visitors, artists and staff. Find out what we're doing [here](https://rising.melbourne/covid-safe). 

Lead creatives: Izzy Brown, Joshua Tavares, Mini Miller, Viv Malo 

Podcast producer: Annaliese Redlich

Collingwood is a microcosm of Melbourne. First Peoples, European settlers and new migrants all rub shoulders within its grid. Artists canvas laneways, leave cryptic paint dribbles on street corners and cover the walls of houses with intricate murals. Bass pumps from queer nightclubs and guitars howl from band rooms.  

*Wander the Wood* is a self-guided walking tour through the flats of one of Melbourne’s most well worn neighbourhoods, starting from the iconic Smith and Stanley Street corner in Collingwood. As you walk the grounds of the public housing estate, listen to stories of the area’s creative history and hear about its residents’ talents and journeys. 

Access the tour via Spotify below or our [interactive map](https://exhibitionist-rising.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/PDFs/Events/Wander+the+Wood_Interactive_v2.pdf)   

Dromana Drive-In

Newport RSL

The Substation

Trades Hall

Festival Hall

Collingwood Neighbourhood House

Melbourne Museum

Meat Market

Arts House

Princes Park 

Take in the rich cultural and creative history of Collingwood’s residents with a self-guided podcast tour. 

Wander The Wood

Curator: Kimberley Moulton (Yorta Yorta)  

Tram Graphic Designer: Kate Francis 

## Artist: Aunty Zeta Thomson (Wurundjeri and Yorta Yorta Peoples)
### Artwork: Mookies Around The Watering Hole
### Tram Route: 5, 6, 16, 58, 72

__Artists Statement:__

“Mookie means spirit in Yorta Yorta. In our culture, visitors would call out to Ancestor Mookies as they walked through the bush announcing they were coming onto Country. They would meet and gather at sacred waterholes for ceremony.” Her statement continues, “After meeting, the travellers would begin their journey across Country to the next place, ‘galyan woka ngana buraya moya’—a beautiful place far, far away. This work teaches us to respect Country and honour Ancestors”.

__Bio__
Aunty Zeta Thomson is a respected Elder and descendant of the Yarra Yarra Clan of the Wurundjeri people through her father and grandfather, Alexander Briggs, and is a descendant of the Ulupna Clan of the Yorta Yorta people on her mother and grandmother, Teresa (Yarmuk) Clements’ side. She is a renowned artist, culture teacher and advocate for the rights of Aboriginal prisoners in Victoria. Aunty Zeta was born in 1946 to Geraldine Briggs and Selwyn Briggs. She is one of 13 children and grew up with her large family in Shepparton, Victoria. Aunty Zeta retains strong connections to her ancestral homelands.
Her parents participated in the historic Cummeragunja Walk-Off, relocating to the Shepparton-Mooroopna. Her family maintains links with Cummeragunja through the continuing use of ancestral burial grounds. Her knowledge of culture has been passed down by her mother and father and maternal grandmother. Aunty Zeta and her husband, Edward have been proudly for married 54 years. She is a mother of three children and a grandmother of ten.She has had a lifetime involvement in Aboriginal affairs, working at a community level, like many of her family members. She has supported land rights and Aboriginal rights with her family. Aunty Zeta was the first Victorian Aboriginal artist to have work exhibited at Melbourne Museum’s Bunjilaka Gallery. Her paintings are inspired by the family stories and her work showcases the Yorta Yorta creation story: “Aboriginal art is storytelling; it is inspired by old creation stories”.

## Artist: Jarra Karalinar Steel (Boonwurrung/Wemba Wemba Peoples)
### Artwork: iilk (eel)
### Tram route: 48 and 109

__Artist Statement:__

“From a small child my mother would tell me stories of the iilk (eel) and their long Journey Cycles, as well as their importance as a food source for our people the Boonwurrung.
I was always fascinated by the idea of them making their journey along Elizabeth Street which originally was a creek running from the Birrarung (Yarra River). Elizabeth Street was the main street in which our tram would enter the city when I was a child and teen, coming from Brunswick and North Melbourne and I’d often reflect on this story.
The reason for using the iilk is because I like the idea of them taking back and reclaiming their important place in what we call Melbourne today. I imagine them all traveling along our tram lines as part of their Journey Cycle.

This work I have included some personal icons:
• The wattle being my name Jarra Karalinar (wattle tree woman).
• The feathers being Bundjil (wedge tail eagle) and Waa (crow).
• I also used some pattern design influenced by Kulin designs.
• And lastly my Walert Murrup (possum spirits) which are healing spirits.

I wanted to express my lifelong connection and love to this city of Melbourne and our trams. I was conceived in Richmond (my twin and I are IVF babies) and born at Queen Victoria Hospital. I’ve spent a majority of my life in Melbourne catching and riding trams, trams are my main transport to keep me connected and the sound they make would be the background to the soundtrack of my life”.

__Bio:__
Jarra Karalinar Steel – a multi-disciplinary artist known for her powerful emu engravings, poster art, large scale public installations, Digital/Augmented Reality Art, RAP artwork and commemorative signage. Jarra is of Boonwurrung, Wemba Wemba, English and Scottish descent. Jarra completed her Master of Arts (Art in Public Space) from RMIT in 2020. Jarra is a passionate advocate/consultant for Self-Representation of Kulin and Victorian First Peoples Art and culture and making sure it is kept alive and thriving.

## Artwork: Djeetgun Dreaming
### Artist: Ray Thomas (Brabrawooloong Gunnai Peoples) 
### Tram Route: 70 and 75

__Artist Statement:__

Djeetgun Dreaming - Djeetgun the female blue wren  is the wrukut (womens) totem of the Gunnai people of Gippsland. The Gunnai nation consist of five clan groups. My family are from the Brabrawooloong clan. Our country begins just east of Stratford and takes in the Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo rivers and all their water tributaries. To the north we are locked by the mountains while our southern boundary ends around Paynesville and the lakes. The patterning in my design pays respect to my Ancestors. These markings have inspired from the shields that were collected in the late 1800s by the squatters from the area at the time.  A number of these shields ended up in the Victorian Museum collection in Melbourne and eventually were returned to the community in the mid-1990s. This was period when artefacts and cultural material was being repatriated after negotiations with the then government. They are now housed in the Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place in Bairnsdale of which I briefly managed between 1998 -2000. The beautiful little Gunnai Lit (Child) is my granddaughter, Bryeesha. I christened her Djeetgun when I first laid eyes on her as a baby and she is affectionately called Djeetgun by the whole family to this day. The gums leaves represent the little bird Djeetgun as she flutters through the under growth and through the bush.

__Bio:__
Ray Thomas was born in Melbourne in 1960 and is a highly acclaimed Victorian Aboriginal artist. He is mainly self-taught and was influenced by the award-winning artist, Lin Onus, who he met in the early 1970s. Since the mid-1980s Thomas has been researching his Gunnai people’s stories, histories and iconography, influenced by archives and historical cultural material held in museums and keeping places from his people. Thomas won the Deadly Art Award through the Victorian Aboriginal Art Awards in 2013 for a portrait of his mother, Alice and is a practicing mural artist which include large murals at the Northcote Town Hall, the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service Preston and Fitzroy, and one of several mural artists for the Aboriginal Advancement League Mural Wall on St Georges Road. Ray Thomas has work in various collections including the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum and Darebin City Council. 

## Artist: Aunty Rochelle Patten (Dhudhuroa/Wemba Wemba/Yorta Yorta Peoples) in collaboration with her grandson Dixon Patten
### Artwork: March of the Ants
### Tram Route: 58 and 59 

__Artist Statement:__

“This artwork is titled march of the ants. It pays respects to environment and caring for country and community. Our old people learnt a lot by observing the environment, it taught us things, it still tells us things if we are open to listening. The ants represent travelling, working together and participating in our communities. Every ant has a role to play to ensure survival and continuity. All roles are important in the community’s success. The feet represent us observing and learning from them and applying those principles to our society. As individuals; the ants are minute and weak. But together, they are strong. This is how I view our society when we work together. It’s all of our duty to care for country and each other”.

__Bio:__

Aunty Rochelle Patten is a highly respected elder and cultural leader and artist. Aunty Rochelle has a Masters of Applied Science at Deakin University when which she achieved at fifty years of age and was focused on the health of the Dungahla (Murray) River and Murray Darling Basin areas of where she has lived and continues to care for. She has worked for the Native Title Legal Service and the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Medical Service as the chairperson for sixteen years. Aunty Rochelle also sits on the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council as a director for her region. Aunty Rochelle has been creating art for many years and recently had a joint exhibition at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre titled Two Strong Sisters. Aunty Rochelle has been on the Yulendj knowledge group for Museums Victoria since 2012 and was an integral contributor to the First Peoples exhibition at Melbourne Museum. She is a respected member of her community and currently lives in the Barmah Forest connecting and caring to her country and animal friends.

## Artist: Thomas Marks (Wotjobaluk/Gunaikurnai Peoples)
### Artwork: Walking on my Father’s Country
### Tram Route: 6 and 19 

__Artist Statement:__

“This work represents walking on my father’s Country and the importance of leaving my footprints and connections. My father was a proud Wotjobaluk man. It’s a tribute to him, connecting our two spirits together as father and son. It shows flowering Indigenous plants that grow along the Wimmera River nurtured by the warmth of the sun and the river. These have provided food and cultural resources for Wotjobaluk people for generations.”

__BIO:__

Thomas ‘Marksey’ Marks is a Wotjobaluk/Gunaikurnai man from Gippsland. Being one of many Stolen Generations children, he wasn’t able to grow up on his traditional country. As an adult, he is now proudly reclaiming his Aboriginal identity through art. Thomas proudly acknowledges his involvement with the highly successful Pitcha Makin’ Fellas art collective in Ballarat before going to prison. He remembers meeting The Torch CEO, Kent Morris, at Indigenous art exhibitions and events and then again at Ravenhall Correctional Centre, where he joined The Torch Program in 2018. 

“Becoming an artist has changed me in so many ways. It has given me a better perspective and outlook on life and it has taught me to have patience; I guess it’s created a whole new world for me and has given me a lot more confidence in myself.” Thomas is motivated by the injustices of his past, as a stolen generations child. This is strongly depicted in the poems written within his artworks. “I guess I focus on things from my past, like the Stolen Generations. It wasn’t my choice, it’s something that was forced upon me. I not only get inspiration from my Stolen Generations background but through my subsequent life experiences in trying to connect back to my identity, culture and aboriginality. When I complete a painting, I feel I have achieved a little bit more of the healing process. It gives me a sense of belonging; a knowing of who I really am. It also gives me a sense that I can achieve anything that I put my mind too.”

## Artist: Deanne Gilson (Wadawurrung Peoples)
### Artwork: Karringalabil Bundjil Murrup, Manna Gum Tree (The Creation Tree of Knowledge) 
### Tram Routes: 3, 3a, 64 and 67

__Artist Statement:__

“My painting depicts the Wadawurrung Creation Story of South Eastern Victoria, at a place known as Black Hill in Gordon, situated on my ancestral Country. A man known as Karringalabil the creator spirit, created the first man and woman out of clay (paapul). He took bark and leaves from the great birthing tree known today as the manna gum tree. The manna gum tree is a sacred tree that housed all the spirits of creation within its branches. Karringalabil turned the tree spirits into the birds of creation, who today, represent our ancestral totems. He then turned himself into the largest and most powerful bird, Bundjil the Eaglehawk. The role of the other birds was to help Karringalabil Bundjil, give and sustain life on earth. After creating the plants, animals, waterways, forests and mountains, Bundjil asked his friends the birds, to perform different roles in order to complete his creation. Firstly, Parrwang the magpies lifted the sky, from darkness to light, giving us the first sunrise. Then Waa the ancestral crow, opened his lungs and blew life in to the people, scattering them across the countryside, after which they needed to keep warm and cook food, so Bundjil asked Jinap the cockatoo to bend down and scatter fire across Country on his burnt crest. Bundjil then took his two wives, Koonawarra the black swan sisters and flew high up in the sky above Lal Lal Falls, our sacred creation site today where he watches over all of us today.”

__Bio__

Artist Bio Deanne is a proud Wadawurrung woman of Aboriginal and Australian/English descent, living on her ancestral Country of Ballarat in Victoria. Her award-winning art practice has spanned 35 years full time, or an entire lifetime, choosing to work full time on a painting and sculptural practice, along with facilitating cultural educational workshops in schools and local business. Gilson’s contemporary artworks aim to reconnect back to traditional stories, in particular her Creation Story given to her by her mum Marlene. Along with using marks found on ancestral artefacts, thus revealing cultural knowledge of women’s business and ceremony, while as the same time reflecting the colonial gaze as a way to strengthen and regain her identity back. Reviving ochre painting across Wadawurrung Country and creating a platform for healing, acceptance, reconciliation and strength. Stating that “my art is part of my Dreaming and ceremony, always was, always will be.” Working in and out of western genres, like still life painting and traditional stone circles, Gilson was the first Wadawurrung artist to bring back traditional marks and ancestral stories within her art practice after colonisation, along with teaching her mum Marlene Gilson how to paint. An emerging elder in her community, Gilson has just received three awards including a community award for her art and teaching over 10,000 students about her culture and bringing positive change and awareness of Aboriginal people through art.

Artistic team

Melbourne Art Trams are presented with PTV and Creative Victoria and supported by Yarra Trams. 

We are working with the Victorian Government and the Department of Health to
deliver a COVID-Safe event for visitors, artists and staff. Find out what we're doing [here](https://rising.melbourne/covid-safe).

When travelling on the trams, please follow Public Transport Victoria's[ COVID-Safe Information](https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/coronavirus-covid-19/). 

Ancient waterways continue to flow beneath the concrete foundations of a constantly  transforming city. Old gums, scarred with the lines of canoes, stand tall alongside towering skyscrapers. Freshwater and saltwater meet in estuaries, brought together by the turning moon’s tides.   

While the city is changing, Country and First Peoples culture is all around us. For 2021 we celebrate six First Peoples artists from the city to the regions. Each artist will be responsible for the transformation of a Melbourne tram, which will make its way through the city daily. The collected works speak to themes of caring for Country and the diverse ecologies of First Peoples lands, to personal connections to identity and journeying. 

## Artists

- Deanne Gilson (Wadawurrung) 
- Thomas Marks (Wotjobaluk and Gunaikurnai) 
- Aunty Rochelle Patten (Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuroa and WembaWemba) 
- Jarra Karalinar Steel (Boonwurrung and WembaWemba) 
- Ray Thomas (Brabrawooloong Gunnai) 
- Aunty Zeta Thomson (Wurundjeri and Yorta Yorta) 

Curated by [Kimberley Moulton](/wormhole/rising-people-kimberley-moulton-q-and-a), the six selected artworks speak to diverse themes of environmental ecologies and caring for Country, to personal stories of journeying and family, and reflect on the history and cultural heritage of First Peoples in the landscape. As a collective of moving artworks all six share with us the strength and beauty of creative cultural expression and the interwoven connections and continuous cultures of First Peoples in Victoria.

## Buy a Mookie tee, tote or raincoat

Share the knowledge and pay respect to First People’s ancestral spirits with this glow-int-the-dark long sleeve tee—created in respectful collaboration with Aunty Zeta Thomson (Wurundjeri/Yorta Yorta). Its locally made, using organic cotton with a design based on Thomson’s iconic 2021 MELBOURNE ART TRAMS work, Mookies Around the Waterhole.

  “*‘Mookie’ means spirit in Yorta Yorta. In our culture, visitors would call out to the Mookies of the Ancestors as they walked through the bush announcing that they were coming on to Country. They would meet and gather at sacred waterholes for cultural business. After the ceremony the travellers would begin their journey across Country to the next place, ‘galyan woka ngana buraya moya’—‘a beautiful place far, far away’. This work teaches us to respect Country and honour our Ancestors.*” — Aunty Zeta Thomson

A portion of the profits will be donated to Aunty Zeta Thomson’s nominated charity, Wildlife Victoria.

[__Check out the Aunty Zeta Mookie Collection.__](https://shop.rising.melbourne/collections/aunty-zeta-thomson)

For the first time, the Melbourne Art Tram program is amplifying the diverse creative cultural practice of city and regional artists, with a suite of First Peoples-designed trams. 

Melbourne Art Trams

| Venue | From Sandridge Bridge to Birrarung Marr (Yarra River)|
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Wed 26 May—Sun 6 June, Sunset 5.15PM |
| Price | Free, no tickets required |

Event Information 

Lead Artists: Deborah Cheetham AO, Byron J Scullin, Thomas Supple 

Contributing Artists: Don Bemrose, Carolyn Connors, Dhungala Children’s Choir, Marita Dyson (The Orbweavers), James Henry, Jess Hitchcock, Charles Maimarosia, Nai Palm 

Additional Sound Design: Joe Talia 

Audio Playback System Design: James Sandri and Pete Brundle (More Studio) with Jason Read (Optical Audio)

Commissioned by RISING.  

This program was supported by the Besen Family Foundation and the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative. 

Venue support provided by Victoria University. 

## SHOW UPDATE

It’s Reconciliation Week and while the festival is paused for now, in the spirit of amplifying First Peoples voices, *The Rivers Sing* will continue to echo through the skies at sunset and the Birrarung will light up each night with [*Wandering Stars*](/festival-program/wandering-stars) and [*Ancestral Memory*](festival-program/ancestral-memory). 

A small symbol of solidarity to our city in lockdown and the traditional owners who continue to care for it. We ask that you don’t travel to the works, but consider experiencing them if you are exercising within 5km of your home.

---

Hear the water swirl and flow. Its currents chanting all around you. The rivers are singing now, in the first and last light of the day.  

Over 6 weeks in the lead-up to RISING, *The Rivers Sing* will wind its way along the Birrarung and Maribyrnong rivers, collecting and layering the voices of singers, in this large-scale sonic artwork composed by acclaimed opera singer Deborah Cheetham AO, with artists Thomas Supple and Byron J. Scullin.  

As their journey comes to an end, the voices swell in the heart of Birrarung, uniting an urban environment of concrete and glass and the landscape that lies beneath. Echoing from the water across the streets of our city. This is our call—head to an ancient meeting place on the river’s banks at sunset, and hear a song for the stories yet to come.  

*The Rivers Sing* began its journey down the Birrarung and Maribyrnong at the TarraWarra Museum of Art for the 2021 Biennial. 

RISING’s call in the heart of the city. A large-scale sonic artwork uniting the suburbs, the city and Country with the people who call them home.  


Deborah Cheetham AO, Byron J Scullin, Thomas Supple

The Rivers Sing

“When community access and connect to objects the spirit of the collections are renewed and activated, the colonial powers that collected them decentred, new voices heard and the old brought back into being. Contemporary practice and artistic intervention in museums are crucial for the ongoing cultural maintenance of the objects, it provides opportunity to reflect on our past and to create futures for the next generation to understand and connect.”

Daniel Riley - Melbourne Museum
Lou Bennet - Melbourne Museum
Moorina Bonini - Scott Ally
Dr Brian Martin - Swanston Street Hoarding
Jenna Lee - Swanston Street Hoarding
Kaiela Arts- Campbell Arcade, Degraves Street
Jarra Steel - City wide posters
Corree Thorpe - City wide posters


Locations 

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

The Melbourne Museum Car Park contains a number of accessible parking spaces on level P2 including pram parking, however the car park entrance has a height restriction of 2.15m. Accessible parking for vehicles over this limit is located on Rathdowne Street.

ACCESSIBLE DROP OFF

Nicholson Street, next to car park entrance and major pedestrian entrance.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train station: Parliament Station, services all metro lines.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Stop 12: St Vincents Plaza/Victoria Pde (Route 109)

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE

Main entrance.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS

Accessible toilets are located across the three levels of Melbourne Museum.

HEARING AUGMENTATION

There are hearing loops in a number of spaces at Melbourne Museum.

DOG SPENDING/REST AREAS

Melbourne Museum is located within Carlton Gardens, with many dog-friendly facilities.

INTRA SITE TRANSPORT

Wheelchairs and a mobility scooter are available free of charge from the Cloakroom at Melbourne Museum for your visit on a first-come basis on the day. We recommend booking a wheelchair or mobility scooter prior to your visit by calling Melbourne Museum on 13 11 02. All exhibition galleries and public spaces have lift and/or ramp access.

For detailed information of all of Melbourne Museum's services, visit [museumsvictoria.com.au](https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/visiting/access/)

*Moving Objects* is commissioned by RISING, Museums Victoria and YIRRAMBOI. 

Kaiela Arts Shepparton is presented with YIRRAMBOI. Works by Jenna Lee, Dr Brian Martin and Moorina Bonini have been commissioned by RISING, Museums Victoria and Metro Tunnel Creative Program.

*regenerate: bring into renewed existence; generate again  
disrupt: the act of stopping something from continuing in the normal way  
restore: to bring back into use something that has been absent for a period of time*

Objects occupy a space in the multiverse of time, acting as portals of memory and experience, both light and dark. In a museum they carry histories of wisdom, trauma and intrigue; but behind glass and walls—and in the absence of human connection—some stories remain untold. Uncovering these truths allows new futures to emerge.  

*MOVING OBJECTS* asks First Peoples artists to create new work responding to the significant collections of Museums Victoria. Presented as projection, installation, and performance across the city, the work is a manifestation of the transformative potential of opening up access to collections held in museums; continuing the connections to historical material through contemporary creative practice.  

## DR LOU BENNETT AM (YORTA YORTA AND DJA DJA WURRUNG), WURUKUR DJUANDUK BALAG—*ANCESTORS ARE CALLING*, 2021.

With special guests Uncle Herb Patten (Ganai-Kurnai, Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri), Aunty Joy Wandin-Murphy (Wurundjeri), Emma Donovan (Naaguja),Deline Briscoe and Silo SQ.

Song composed in multiple First Peoples languages speaking to the spirit and energy of objects, held in museum collections, calling for their families to take them home.  

[Wurukur Djuanduk Balag—*Ancestors Are Calling*](/festival-program/wurukur-djuanduk-balag-ancestors-are-calling) is performed at Melbourne Museum at, 7.30PM, 6 June.

## performers: DANIEL RILEY & ARCHIE RILEY (WIRADJURI), *MULUNMA — INSIDE WITHIN*, 2021

Lead artist choreographer and director [Daniel Riley (Wiradjuri).](/festival-program/moving-objects-daniel-riley)
With composer James Howard (Jaadwa)  and film maker, director of photography, editor Cass Mortimer-Eipper.

A meditation on the body as the archive; and differing Western and First Peoples archival ideologies. Contemporary dance and choreography projected onto Melbourne Museum from dusk to dawn.

## FIRST PEOPLES VISUAL ARTISTS

Through posters, large scale prints and installation the following artists have developed new work for *MOVING OBJECTS*, showning across the city. The collected works are a call and response between the historical collections of Museums Victoria and the artists’ individual practices, that speak to themes of country and cultural connections across Victoria and New South Wales. Until Thursday 17 June.

[CBD - City Wide Posters](/festival-program/moving-objects-cbd-posters)
- Jarra Karalinar Steel (Boonwurrung, WembaWemba)
- Coree Thorpe with daughters Ngari and Kyah Thorpe (Wurundjeri, Gunnai, Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara

[Metro Hoarding Project](/festival-program/moving-objects-metro)
- Brian Martin (Bundjalung, MurraWarri and Kamilaroi)
- Jenna Lee (Larrakia, Wardaman and Karajarri)

[Scott Alley](/festival-program/moving-objects-scott-alley)
- Moorina Bonini (Yorta Yorta Dhulunyagen)

[Degraves Street, Campbell Arcade Windowbox Installation](/festival-program/moving-objects-degraves-street)
- By Kaiela Arts Shepparton


Moving Objects

Coree Thorpe

Daniel Riley 

Kaiela Arts

First Peoples artists respond to the collections of Museums Victoria in a city-wide presentation of performance and visual art.

Presented with Museums Victoria and YIRRAMBOI

| Venue | Sidney Myer Music Bowl |
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Wed 26 May—Sun 6 June; Sun—Thu, 5.30PM—11PM (Last entry at 10PM); Fri—Sat, 5.30PM—midnight (Last entry at 11PM) |
| Accessible Services |  Please look at the Venue Access drop-down for information on mobility around the site. Companion Card holders are eligible for a complimentary companion ticket. Please contact our Ticketing team on 03 9662 4242 or via [email](mailto:ticketing@rising.melbourne) to book | 
| Price | $15 (Packages including ice skating are $35 + booking fee) | 
| Duration | Please allow 1.5 hours for exploration |
| Note | Children under the age of 2 may be admitted without a ticket. *The Wilds* is a licensed venue, persons under the age of 18 are only permitted to enter *The Wilds* if they are in the company of a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult. | 
| Note  | Ice-skating sessions are currently at capacity| 


A bespoke pathway has been created that meanders through the Bowl grounds. Due to existing slopes within the venue and the length of this one-way path (1.8-2km), this event requires assisted access for wheelchair users and those with restricted mobility.

If you have accessibility requirements you are encouraged to book a free companion ticket, so that a friend or carer may assist you along the pathway. There will be numerous rest points available along the journey and event staff available to assist if required. Please call 03 9662 4242 or email [ticketing@rising.melbourne](mailto:ticketing@rising.melbourne) to book.

Animals (except registered assistance animals) are not permitted inside the venue.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

There are four 4-hr wheelchair accessible parking spaces available on Linlithgow Avenue at the bottom of Gate 1. Alternatively the Arts Centre Melbourne Car Park is approximately 10 minutes from the entrance to the Bowl and has wheelchair accessible parking available on the bottom level.

ACCESSIBLE DROP OFF

There is no formal drop off area onsite, however there is a small break in parking with curb cut access on Linlithgow Avenue at the bottom of Gate 1, which can be used for a quick drop off if needed.

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE

Gates 1 and 1A.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS

Accessible toilets are located behind the Tier E stalls seating and near Gate 1, behind the lawn deck area.

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANT

1800—2000m.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train stop: Flinders Street Station is a short tram ride of 10-15 minute walk from the venue. Outside Flinders Street Station, trams travel south on St Kilda Road to the venue.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Tram stops along St Kilda Road are wheelchair accessible, however not all trams servicing those stops are low floor. Tram tracker has information as to which tram will be a low floor tram.


*The Wilds* has timed and staggered entry for lower capacity limits to allow physical distancing. RISING is implementing contact tracing through digital check-ins using QR codes. 

Floor markers and signage will be in place to remind visitors to remain 1.5m apart and sanitiser stations will be at entry and exit points.

We are working with the Victorian Government and the Department of Health to deliver a COVID-Safe event for visitors, artists and staff. Find out what we're doing [here](https://rising.melbourne/covid-safe). 

Covid-Safe Information

Designer: Matt Adey

Cave Urban: Jed Long and Juan Pablo Pinto

Composition and Sound Design: Mark Mitchell and Pascal Babare

Sound System Designer: Nick Carroll

Museum of the Moon: Luke Jerram

Arc ZERO Eclipse: James Tapscott


Nature has taken over the entire Sidney Myer Music Bowl, transforming its iconic amphitheatre into a supernatural forest of ice, art, sound and moonlight. 

Enter through a bamboo forest and encounter mirrored illusions, architectural tunnels of light, large-scale sculpture, video art and the return of a beloved tradition—ice-skating on the bowl’s stage.    

From devouring cult snacks by the fire at our [collaborative kitchens](/festival-program/eat-and-drink-at-the-wilds) and fine dining in [*The Lighthouse*](/festival-program/the-lighthouse), to moving in and through artworks, or ice skating beneath Luke Jerram’s giant *Museum of the Moon*, *The Wilds* is a one-way ticket to elemental experiences. Rug up and get lost. 

*Note: Ice-skating sessions are currently at capacity*

The Wilds 

Museum of the Moon

Ice Skating Lessons at Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Robert ‘Dipper’ Domenico skating at the Bowl, July 1984

Slivers of light flicker through a bamboo forest, moving and swaying to the soundscape. Architectural tunnels lead you through mirrored fields and roaring fires, to an ice rink lit by a giant moon.  

Please note: *The Wilds* is a licensed venue, persons under the age of 18 are only permitted to enter *The Wilds* if they are in the company of a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult. 

All ice skating sessions are currently at capacity. 

The Wilds

| Venue | Golden Square Carpark |
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Wed 26 May—Sun 6 June, 6PM—12AM (Last entry at 11PM) |
| Note | Closed Mon 31 May |
| Duration | Please allow 1 hour for exploration |
| Price | $23—$32 + booking fee |


| AUSLAN | AUSLAN tour on Thu 27 May, 7-9PM use promo code AUSLAN to book
| --- | --- |
| AUDIO DESCRIPTION | Audio Described tour on Wed 2 June, 7-9PM use promo code DESCRIPTION to book
| ACCESSIBLE ENTRY | A designated accessible vehicle transport service will operate from ground floor from the Lonsdale Street drop off point to level 6 of the site for entry and return.  Companion Card holders are eligible for a complimentary companion ticket. |
| TO BOOK | Please contact our Ticketing team on 03 9662 4242 or via [email](mailto:ticketing@rising.melbourne) |

Accessibility Services

This activation takes place in a multi-level car park that does not have lift access. Participants traverse five flights of stairs to reach the start of the exhibition, and cover a distance of 370m to view all of the works. To exit the venue one must go down two flights of stairs. The journey involves some ramps and inclines due to the existing design of the car park. There is a sit-down bar and numerous rest points along the journey. 

We have an assisted access plan in place for those with mobility needs. Please ensure you book one of our Accessibility tickets by contacting our Ticketing team on 03 9662 4242 or via [email](mailto:ticketing@rising.melbourne) and letting us know of your access requirements.

Accessibility ticket purchasers are entitled to a free companion ticket so that a friend or carer may assist you with the journey. The RISING team can transport those with Accessibility tickets via a wheelchair accessible vehicle to the higher levels of the car park. 

Please see below for more details regarding our accessible entrance and parking.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

- 2 x accessible parking bays available on ground floor of Golden Square Car Park—enter from Lonsdale Street. Additional accessible parking can be arranged on a case-by-case basis, in liaison with rising access team and golden square carpark staff.
- 1 x accessible parking spot available on corner of heffernan lane & lonsdale street and also available on street [throughout CBD](https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/community/health-support-services/accessing-melbourne/pages/mobility-maps.aspx).

ACCESSIBLE DROP OFF

There is a designated area assigned to accessible drop off via Lonsdale Street entry point through the carpark boom gates. Area will be sign posted.

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE

Lonsdale Street entry point through the car park boom gates. Area will be sign posted.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM

Ground floor next to accessible drop off point. Another bathroom is on the rooftop in the covered annexe.

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANTS

370m across two levels.

DOG SPENDING/REST AREAS

Numerous rest areas positioned across both levels of the Golden Square Car Park site.

INTRA SITE TRANSPORT

A designated accessible vehicle transport service will operate from ground floor from the Lonsdale Street drop off point to level 6 of site for entry and return.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train station: Melbourne Central Station, access via Swanston Street and Flinders Street Station, access via Swanston Street and Flinders Street Station.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Melbourne Central Station/State Library Tram Stop (Swanston Street between Little Lonsdale Street and La Trobe Street).


We are working with the Victorian Government and the Department of Health to deliver a COVID-Safe event for visitors, artists and staff. Find out what we're doing [here](https://rising.melbourne/covid-safe). 

City of Melbourne

This project was developed and commissioned by RISING.


Supporters 

*Golden Square* is our swirling vortex of contemporary art from Australia and abroad—a concrete temple to big ideas.  

Starting on the car park roof you’ll take in an iconic skyline lit up by [building-sized projections](/festival-program/the-hearts-of-the-people). Grab a cocktail from Fancy Free’s pop-up bar—Melbourne’s impressively pedigreed travelling bar crew (The Black Pearl, Leonardo’s Pizza Palace)—before navigating new commissions from major Australian contemporary artists, including underfoot murals and melting columns of frozen lake water. You’ll then head down through the car park’s lower levels exhibiting video, performance and sculptural works.

In its first year, *Golden Square*’s curator Grace Herbert has used the theme *Inland Tides* to examine migration, colonisation, technology, consumerism and an environment in flux. Celestial bodies move aquatic swells, fresh water meets salt, minerals are deposited, and information exchanged. By the time you reach street level, the world’s going to look different. 

## Artists  

__Patty Chang, *Invocation for a Wandering Lake*, 2016__

A dead beached whale and the hull of a ship are washed by the artist on the shores of Newfoundland. *Invocation for a Wandering Lake* is part of *[the hearts of the people are measured by the size of the land](/festival-program/the-hearts-of-the-people)*.

__[Reko Rennie, *Initiation OA_RR*, 2021](/festival-program/reko-rennie)__

Rennie, driving a custom Holden Monaro, cruises the Western suburbs, performing burnouts as a form of contemporary Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi mark making to an operatic score composed by Deborah Cheetham AO. 

__Lu Yang, *Power of will—final shooting*, 2016__

Digital self-portraiture caught in the flow, emerging inflated, glowing and new. 

__Parallel Park, *Mission Surge*, 2018__

Piloting a land-bound kayak requires perfect timing and even pressure. An absurd, erotic marathon and durational performance moving through Golden Square. 

__Tabita Rezaire, *DEEP DOWN TIDAL*, 2017__

Fibre-optic cables and sunken cities. Transoceanic networks and drowned bodies. Water as a conductive interface for communication.  

__[Lucy Bleach, *By This Lake*, 2021](/festival-program/by-this-lake)__

Glowing, frozen blocks of lake water on Golden Square’s roof slowly melt; while marine microphones embedded within record the cracking ice as the melt leeches out of the carpark and into the city. 

__[Jason Phu, James Nguyen, Nabilah Nordin and Veisinia Tonga, *Parade for the Moon*, 2021](/festival-program/parade-for-the-moon)__

Mythical beasts, creatures of the night and spiritual beings march sporadically throughout the night in a parade of collective moon worship.  

__Agnieszka Polska, *The New Sun*, 2017__

The sun sings a gospel—trolling you in the moments before extinction.

__Monira Al Qadiri, *The End*, 2017__

A hamburger levitates before your eyes. The most powerful food object in the industrialised world and a totem of US cultural expansion—floating precariously in space, ready to fall from grace.

__Rox Lee (Roque Federizon Lee), *Juan Gapang (Johnny Crawl)*, 1987__

A figure crawls on the street of Manila in a film made a year after the Edsa Revolution—the revolution that ended the 20-year presidency of Ferdinand Marcos. 

*Juan Gapang (Johnny Crawl)* is part of *[the hearts of the people are measured by the size of the land](/festival-program/the-hearts-of-the-people)*.

__Curated by Grace Herbert__

Daniel's Car Park

Golden Square Car Park

Queen Victoria Women's Centre

Brien Lane

Across Chinatown

Smythe Lane

Reko Rennie

Lucy Bleach, By This Lake, 2021 

Tabita Rezaire, DEEP DOWN TIDAL, 2017

Lu Yang, Power of Will—final shooting, 2016

Patty Chang, Invocation for a Wandering Lake, 2016 

Parallel Park, Mission Surge, 2018 

Jason Phu, James Nguyen, Nabilah Nordin and Veisinia Tonga, Parade for the Moon, 2021 [blue dot] 

Agnieszka Polska, The New Sun, 2017 

Our spiraling, sparkling Chinatown art car park. A concrete cavern of melting ice sculptures, a laser-eyed inflatable, kayak performance, cocktails and moon parades. 

Golden Square

| Venue | The Wilds—Sidney Myer Music Bowl |
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Wed 26 May—Sun 6 June, 6.15PM, 8PM and 9.30PM |
| Duration | Your ticket to *The Wilds* will allow 30 minutes of exploration before your booking in *The Lighthouse.* Sittings in *The Lighthouse* are 60 minutes long |
| Table for 2 | $180 ($90 per person) + booking fee |
| Table for 4 | $360 ($90 per person) + booking fee |
| Table for 6 | $540 ($90 per person) + booking fee |
| Notes | Ticket includes entry to *The Wilds*. Table sizes cannot be altered. The table’s ticket price includes a three-course animal protein or vegetarian menu. Due to the nature of the event, *The Lighthouse* is unable to change its menu items to accommodate specific dietary requirements |
|   | We want to know in advance if you require the vegetarian option. Please let us know in the notes field prior to your checkout |
|   | The Wilds is a one-way journey through the Bowl, there is no turning back |
|   | *The Wilds* is a licensed venue, persons under the age of 18 are only permitted to enter *The Wilds* if they are in the company of a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult. | 
| Note | Face masks are now required for patrons 12 years and older at RISING indoor venues, including *The Lighthouse* |


If you have accessibility requirements you are encouraged to book a free companion ticket, so that a friend or carer may assist you along the pathway. There will be numerous rest points available along the journey and event staff available to assist if required. Please call 03 9662 4242 or email [ticketing@rising.melbourne](mailto:ticketing@rising.melbourne) to book.

Animals (except registered assistance animals) are not permitted inside the venue.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

There are four 4-hr wheelchair accessible parking spaces available on Linlithgow Avenue at the bottom of Gate 1. Alternatively the Arts Centre Melbourne Car Park is approximately 10 minutes from the entrance to the Bowl and has wheelchair accessible parking available on the bottom level.

ACCESSIBLE DROP OFF

There is no formal drop off area onsite, however there is a small break in parking with curb cut access on Linlithgow Avenue at the bottom of Gate 1, which can be used for a quick drop off if needed.

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE

Gates 1 and 1A.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS

Accessible toilets are located behind the Tier E stalls seating and near Gate 1, behind the lawn deck area.

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANT

1800—2000m.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train stop: Flinders Street Station is a short tram ride of 10-15 minute walk from the venue. Outside Flinders Street Station, trams travel south on St Kilda Road to the venue.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Tram stops along St Kilda Road are wheelchair accessible, however not all trams servicing those stops are low floor. Tram tracker has information as to which tram will be a low floor tram.


Our glowing beacon of gastronomy perched at the top of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl’s amphitheatre, the ultimate spot to take in the full expanse of [*The Wilds*](/festival-program/the-wilds)—our supernatural forest of ice, art, sound and moonlight.

Set against a backdrop of densely planted living bamboo, The Lighthouse brings the outdoors inside, with its radiant, 130-seat glass atrium immersing diners in warmth, plant life and bespoke lighting.

Helming The Lighthouse’s greenhouse restaurant and kitchen is acclaimed chef and restaurateur David Moyle—you know him from Franklin and Longsong (and as The Saturday Paper food editor). Moyle serves an original three-course menu, dynamically toying with signature techniques developed and refined over his illustrious cooking career, including dishes smoked to order from onsite smokers. 

For 11 years, Blackhearts & Sparrows have been shaping Melburnians wine palates, and for The Lighthouse, co-founder Jess Ghaie is shaping the wine list. Her penchant for extracting the best local and underground producers punching above their weight is on show here, and her selections add extra sparkle to the nooks and crannies of Moyle’s menu. The cult wine store also collaborates on a cocktail with Four Pillars Gin.

Bookings at The Lighthouse are limited and essential. Tickets include a three-course set menu (animal protein or vegetarian) and entry to The Wilds; drinks are extra. 

__THE LIGHTHOUSE MENU__

Raw Proviner beef with pepper paste,
White beans with pickled celery and green goddess,
Grilled Flinders mussels,
Flatbread

Smoked Golbourn river trout with curry leaf butter,
Potato with sour cream and chives,
Green leaves 

Miso and lemon leaf ice cream from our friends at Piccolina 

Drinks menu and orders available via the Mr Yum QR code at your table

Enter the bistro of our dreams. A luminous atrium at *The Wilds*, serving an original three-course menu by David Moyle.


David Moyle

All dining packages for The Lighthouse include a three-course set menu (animal protein or vegetarian) and entry to The Wilds; drinks are extra. A full menu will be announced prior to the event.

We want to know in advance if you or a member of your party requires the vegetarian option. Please let us know in the notes field prior to your checkout the breakdown of animal protein vs vegetarian meals for your table. Animal protein is the default meal offering for this experience. 

*The Wilds* is a licensed venue, persons under the age of 18 are only permitted to enter *The Wilds* if they are in the company of a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult.

The Lighthouse 

| Venue | Southgate Berth 4, Southgate Ave (Near Hamer Hall)|
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Wed—Sun, every 30 minutes from 5.30PM—8PM (Final departure 8PM) |
| Duration | 20 minutes |
| Price | $25 + booking fee |
| Babes in Arms | Please be advised that everyone on the boat must hold a valid ticket. This includies infants and small children |

Snaking down the Birrarung (Yarra river) is [*Wandering Stars*](/festival-program/wandering-stars)—our glowing lantern installation charting the eel’s mysterious life-cycle and its significance to this land’s First Peoples. And the best place to take it in is on the river itself.

Board a Melbourne Water Taxi from Southbank, Berth 4, for a 20-minute return tour of the installation. The boat takes you along the work’s southern flank, past the giant spirit eel’s vertebrae, and the lunar cycle’s phases entwined with elvers (young eels); you’ll also  hear the work’s soundtrack travelling across the water. 


Take a river cruise to view our 500-metre-long lantern installation *Wandering Stars*.

Please be advised that everyone on the boat must hold a valid ticket. This includes infants and small children.

Stars by Water 

“A season is as much about the lapse or passage of time as weather events, climatic variation and cycles of flowering and decay. However intense or frightening or beautiful, a season passes and recurs. There are no permanent states, just invariable change. In this sound work — which draws upon the Kulin seasonal calendar — the key artists evoke a different way of knowing their Country and its extraordinary range of physical features, biodiverse habitats, ecosystems and climates. It is a way of knowing — a knowledge system — informed by the Ancestors.”  

| Venue | Blak Box, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (meet at the Visitor Centre)|
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Thu 6 May—Sat 5 June, Mon—Thu, 6PM and 7.15PM; Fri and Sat, 6PM, 7.15PM, 8.30PM |
| Duration| 50 minutes |
| Price | $29 + booking fee |
| Notes | Low light venue. Closed Sundays. |
| Lockout | As *SEASONS in Blak Box* is a deep listening experience, once the performance begins there is a complete lock out. Audience who leave the experience cannot re-enter. |
| Ticket Information | Please note that physical + digital tickets will not be issued for this event. Please arrive at the Visitor Centre 15 minutes prior to your scheduled start time in order to be checked in. |

Please meet at the Royal Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre 15 minutes prior to your session start time.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

Accessible car parking is available at several points around the Garden. Parking is also available in the Federation Square Car Park which is open 24hrs and has accessible spaces located next to the lift on each level.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train station: Flinders Street Station, opposite Federation Square, services all metro train lines.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Stop 13 - Federation square/Swanston Street.

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANT

Under 200m.

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE

All areas of the Melbourne Gardens are accessible by walker and wheelchair excluding the Melbourne Observatory buildings due to their historically narrow entrances.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS

Accessible bathroom locations are available via this map: https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/documents/RBGV_Melb_Map_Board_MAP_A3_ST10_OL.pdf

DOG SPENDING/REST AREAS

Multiple areas available within the parklands.

INTRA SITE TRANSPORT

Melbourne Gardens provides wheelchairs at the Visitor Centre and The Terrace Cafe.  Wheelchairs are available 9am–5pm daily.  For bookings call +61 3 9252 2429.

For further detailed accessibility information about the Royal Botanic Gardens, visit: https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/visit-melbourne/plan-your-visit/accessibility

We are working with the Victorian Government and the Department of Health to deliver a COVID-Safe event for visitors, artists and staff. Find out what we're doing [here](https://rising.melbourne/covid-safe).

Click [here](https://exhibitionist-rising.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/PDFs/COVID/SubmissionReceipt-COVIDSafePublicEventRegistrationForm-7861_Redacted.pdf) to read our COVID Safe Checklist for Season in Blak Box. 

Curator: Daniel Browning 

Architect: Kevin O’Brien 

Lighting Designer: Karen Norris 

Composer: James Henry 

Key Artists: 

N'arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM 

Isobel Morphy-Walsh 

Aunty Joy Murphy AO 

Justice Nelson 

Contributing Artists: 

Mandy Nicholson 

Fay Stewart-Muir 

Production Manager: Julie Blyth 

Sound Engineer: Jack Prest 

Sound Recordist and Engineer: Darius Kedros 

*SEASONS in Blak Box* was originally commissioned by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria with support from Australia Council for the Arts and City of Melbourne. 

Spring, summer, autumn and winter are often spoken about as immutable facts of nature. Just like the 24-hour clock and the Roman calendar, the four seasons are colonial imports, rigid measures of time forced on a constantly changing landscape—a place experienced and interpreted very differently by this land’s First Peoples.  

*SEASONS in Blak Box* takes you into an award-winning sound pavilion designed by architect Kevin O’Brien, where you’re invited to engage in deep listening—a First Peoples concept that acknowledges silence and in-between spaces, as much as the stories which contain them.  

Aided by subtly shifting light and music, Aboriginal broadcaster and journalist Daniel Browning curates the stories, language and anecdotes from six First Peoples women artists and elders—N'arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM, Isobel Morphy-Walsh, Aunty Joy Murphy AO, Justice Nelson, Fay Stewart-Muir and Mandy Nicholson. Through scientific examinations of biological wonders and poetic interpretations of a ceaselessly changing world, you’ll connect with Country from a First Peoples perspective. 

Local First Peoples artists and elders share their experience and knowledge of the changing landscape. It’ll reshape the four seasons as you know them.

Presented with YIRRAMBOI Festival in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

SEASONS in Blak Box

| Venue | Arts House |
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Thu 27—Sat 29 May, 6.30PM, Wed 2—Sat 5 June, 6.30PM |
| Duration| Approx. 50 minutes |
| Price | $45—$50 + booking fee. Tickets also available from Arts House [here](https://artshouse.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/9033) |
| Note | Please ensure you arrive promptly. Late-comers will not be permitted. |
| Note | Face masks are now required for patrons 12 years and older at RISING indoor venues. By entering a RISING venue you agree to wear a mask, if you refuse to do so you may be denied entry or asked to leave. As announced by the Victorian Government, face masks are mandatory in indoor settings for all patrons 12 years and over |

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

Two on street accessible spaces outside the post office on Errol Street. There are also two accessible spaces on Queensberry Street (150m from the accessible Errol Street entrance).

ACCESSIBLE DROP OFF

Loading zone and accessible parking spaces on Queensberry Street before the corner of Leveson Street.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Nearest accessible train station: Arts House is 1.1km from North Melbourne Train Station, approximately 16 minute walk or 1.2km from Flagstaff Station, approximately 15 minute walk.

Nearest accessible tram stop: Stop 3 - Lincoln Square/Swanston Street

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANT

Under 100m.

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE

80 Errol Street (next to the North Melbourne Post Office).

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS

There are wheelchair accessible, gender-neutral toilets on each floor and you can access all levels via a lift.

INTRA SITE TRANSPORT

Internal lift for access between floors.

Face masks are now required for patrons 12 years and older at RISING indoor venues. By entering a RISING venue you agree to wear a mask, if you refuse to do so you may be denied entry or asked to leave. As announced by the Victorian Government, face masks are mandatory in indoor settings for all patrons 12 years and over.

We are working with the Victorian Government and the Department of Health to deliver a COVID-Safe event for visitors, artists and staff. Find out what we're doing [here](https://rising.melbourne/covid-safe).

Director: Jackson Castiglione 

Music Director: Kate Neal 

Lighting Designer: Amelia Lever-Davidson  

Child Welfare Producer: Romi Kupfer 

Producers: Erin Milne and Xavier O'Shannessy 

Production Manager: Bec Etchell 

When parents separate, their children feel it too. But how often are their voices heard? 

Based on the original production by French/Algerian theatre maker Mohamed El Khatib, *The Dispute* turns the tables on the common narrative of family separation.  

Six children take the stage to share their stories, questions and perspectives on their parent’s separation; and those of other young people like them. They ask burning questions and put the event into words, telling it how they see it. 

Each of the young performers has taken an active part in the creation of the work. Their observations reveal an intelligence and awareness that is moving, sweet, funny and insightful. *The Dispute* is audacious, mischievous and emotional. 

__Post-Show Chat with the Cast of The Dispute__  
Following the performance on Friday 4 June, join a post-show chat led by *The Dispute*’s young cast, with director Jackson Castiglione, and child welfare experts including Stepfamilies Australia’s Phoebe Wallish. It’s a relaxed opportunity for young people attending the performance to engage with other kids from separated and blended families. 


Children take the stage to describe their parents’ separation in their own words. 

Presented with Arts House

Mohamed El Khatib and Jackson Castiglione

Hold up! if you can't find tickets on the date that you're looking for, our friends at Arts House are also selling tickets. Have a look [here](https://artshouse.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/9033)

The Dispute

“In Holzer’s installations, words—not images—strive to say something true, often about love, death, sex, war, or forgiveness. Sometimes, it is something unspeakable.”


| Venue | Façade, Queen Victoria Women's Centre |
| --- | --- |
| Dates | Wed 26 May—Sun 6 June, from 6PM |
| Note | Closed Monday 31 May |
| Price | Free, no tickets required |

Event information

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

From the QV Centre Car Park, there is a lift to the ground level QV Square Lawn Area, then a disabled lift down the stairs to the rear entrance of QVWC.

ACCESSIBLE DROP OFF

Short term parking (20 mins) is available at the Lonsdale St entrance.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Train: Melbourne Central Station - access via Swanston Street, Flinders Street Station – access via Swanston and Flinders Streets

Tram: Melbourne Central Station / State Library tram stop (Swanston Street between Little Lonsdale Street and La Trobe Street)

DISTANCE COVERED BY PARTICIPANT

Under 200m.

ACCESSIBLE ENTRANCE

There is a ramp from the LHS of the front entrance at Lonsdale Street which takes guests to the rear entrance. The lift to level 4 is situated just inside the rear entrance.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS

The ground floor unisex toilet can be used by people in smaller wheelchairs. The signage clear states ‘Ambulant’ as the doorway measures 760cm and has shorter railing than the latest standard requirements.

Facilitated by Jo Porter.

Thanks to Juliana Engberg. 

Supported by City of Melbourne and Queen Victoria Women's Centre. 

SUPPORTERS

Art is about communicating ideas. And few modes of communication are as direct as the written word.

Since the 1970s, Jenny Holzer has distilled universal themes, big ideas and political thought into her pioneering text-based art. From posters on the streets of New York City to dazzling projections and LED sculptures to T-shirts for Willi Smith and Virgil Abloh, Holzer harnesses written language to get to the crux of the ideas that affect us all.

For RISING, Holzer will display *I CONJURE*, a six-story projection on the historic 19th-century facade of the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre. Selections from her seminal work *Truisms* (a set of nearly 300 seemingly objective statements that play on commonly held truths and clichés) alternate nightly with texts on creativity, art and activism chosen by Holzer from esteemed artists and local voices including Tracey Moffatt (who supplied the projection’s title), Agnes Martin, Grace Hartigan, Louise Nevelson, and Nikki Lam (Holzer’s local collaborator, whose work also appears at RISING in [*the hearts of the people are measured by the size of the land*](/festival-program/the-hearts-of-the-people)). 


Schedule

Wed 26 May

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