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State Library welcomes new exhibition Our Dreaming: animating country supplied by Nicola Mangelsdorf 24 January 2014
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tate Library has been transformed into an explosion of colour for new exhibition Our Dreaming: animating country. Large scale projections, threedimensional art installations, augmented reality, hands-on activities and a wide range of animated films combine in the exhibition, which showcases stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Acting State Librarian Prashant Pandey says the exhibition carries a message about the importance of storytelling and the role of new technologies in continuing this tradition. “State Library is dedicated to preserving Queensland’s diverse stories. Our Dreaming: animating country explores how new technologies have contemporised traditional storytelling, preserving these stories for future generations.” Mr Pandey said that visitors are encouraged to leave their mark on the exhibition by way of interactive activities. “There are opportunities for both the young and the young at heart to draw inspiration from the exhibition, bring their own stories to life and add them to the space for other visitors to discover.” Our Dreaming: animating country takes place throughout the library until 9 June, with three exhibition spaces to explore. SLQ Gallery has been transformed into a neon wonderland showcasing 18 animations from The Dreaming series by Aboriginal Nations Australia (ANA). The award-winning animation series is used widely as a teaching resource in Australian educational curricula.
Our Dreaming animation studio. Image: Candice Bridger
This is the first time the series has been featured in an exhibition in Australia. Philip Bacon Heritage Gallery has been transformed into an animation studio, offering a behind the scenes glimpse of how animation artwork is created and providing an opportunity for visitors to try their hand at stop-motion and traditional twodimensional animation.
Our Dreaming: animating country in the kuril dhagun space tells Indigenous stories through Indigenous voices. Featured are nine digital storytelling projects that have been carried out in recent years in Indigenous communities. The resulting films present a collection of retold traditional stories, new urban legends, and personal stories about country. “Our Dreaming: animating
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country is a celebration. It celebrates the vibrancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, the power of
www.firstnationstelegraph.com animation as a storytelling medium, and each person’s own unique story which we hope they will share with us,� said Mr Pandey.
Our Dreaming: animating country runs until 9 June 2014. For more information on the full program, visit slq.qld.gov.au.
Our Dreaming - SLQ Gallery. Image: Josef Ruckli
Our Dreaming- augmented reality in SLQ Gallery. Image: Candice Bridger
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