na-nanyak (to dream)

single-channel video, black and white, sound, charcoal 8:04 minutes, looped dimensions variable

Dungula is central to this new moving image work, reflecting both light and knowledge across interconnected layers of woka (Country). na-nanyak (to dream) (2025) speaks to Aboriginal understandings of time as circular and continuous, without beginning or end, and acknowledges moments where Ancestral knowledge resides. Just as our Ancestors’ knowledge is embedded within woka and Dutala Woka (Sky Country), the Dungula acts as a mirror, reflecting the stars, songlines, and the presence of Yenbena. The light glimmering on the river’s surface evokes the movement of stars, an interplay between water and sky that reveals the layered connections of knowledge and culture.

The sound piece accompanying na-nanyak (to dream) deepens this exploration, tracing the rhythmic pulse of woka. It evokes how woka holds, encodes, and transmits knowledge through a living system of relationships – a matrix of continual exchange. First exhibited in various small fires curated by Brigid Moriaty at Gertrude Contemporary 2025.