Come Fire Walk With Me

In late November 1997 I flew to Maningrida in Arnhem Land for a commission by ‘The Book Of Loud’ which was a government youth initiative to profile young Australians in a magazine format. I was to shoot a story on the Indigenous artist Nicky Pascoe who painted in the traditional method using bark.

Our plane approaches Maningrida ‘The Place Where The Dreaming Changed Shape’

From Maningrida we caught another light aircraft to the outstation Jimarda where Nicky was living.

Children play as we made tea on a fire when we first arrived in Jimarda.

Nicky sourcing bark for his painting

Nicky paints his totem which is Crocodile Sunrise

The artist James Iyuna

After a night sleeping on the beach in 40 degree heat beside a fire (in order to protect ourselves from the local crocodiles) we were ready to fly back to Maningrida

Alvin was Hermaphrodite and greatly revered among the people of Maningrida.

Fonzie - Maningrida Airport on the day of our departure

Field Of Thunder

During the 1950’s and 60’s, the British Government conducted nuclear tests at Maralinga in South Australia. These tests exposed Aboriginal inhabitants to radiation and contaminated the landscape with radioactive materials for hundreds of thousands of years.

I SEE A BLACKENED EARTH

COVERED BY LEAVES

I SMELL DEAD TREES

I TASTE SMOULDERING ASHES

BUT HEAR NO BREEZE

B. Walong