Tura acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the connection and continuum to lands, waters and communities. We honour and pay our deepest respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past and present.
Communities Tura has produced programs in and collaborated with
Ardyaloon/One Arm Point
Bidyadanga
Boorloo/Perth
Djarindjin
Garramilla/Darwin
Goonoonoorrang/ Kununurra
Gwoonwardu/Carnarvon
Jakarta
Jarndunmunha/Tom Price
Kakurrka/Yule River
Karratha
Kunawarritji
Lombadina
Makalamayi/Timber Creek
Marapikurrinya/ Port Hedland
Martuwarra/Fitzroy
Crossing
Munjina
Naarm/Melbourne
Ngambri/Kamberri/ Canberra
Ngarlun Burr/Beagle Bay
Ngukurr
Nullagine
Nitmiluk/Katherine
Nyinggulu/Exmouth
Parnngurr
Parnpajinya
Punmu
Rubibi/Broome
Tarndanya/Adelaide
Wangkatjungka
Warmun
Warrane/Sydney
Yirramagardu/Roebourne
Yogyakarta
“ The two-way learning Tura has made possible has created true connection.”
Chris Griffiths, Mirriwoong Songman/Cultural Advisor
“ Tura’s work on country has been so healing for artists, communities, schools now for over 2 decades – it's Mabu Liyan.”
Diane Appleby, Yawuru Elder
“ The sharing of story through sound and music with Tura mob, every year, 20 years – powerful stuff.”
Madeline Purdie, Gija Artist/Cultural Advisor
PROJECTS
“ Mungangga Garlagula has been and is a very powerful journey of collaboration, allowing me to express the unexplored recesses of memory and dreams –where darkness and light weave a rich brew of spirit, story, sorrow, and strength.”
Mark Atkins, Co-Creator and Director of Mungangga Garlagula
Mungangga Garlagula | Photo by Edify Media
“ Mungangga Garlagula transports audiences to a world where dreams and reality merge, and the everyday coexists with the mythological.”
Erkki Veltheim, Co-Creator Mungangga Garlagula
Mungangga Garlagula | Photo by Edify Media
Mungangga Garlagula
Created by Mark Atkins and Erkki Veltheim
Western Australian Tour 18 November – 3 December Albany (World Premiere), Denmark, Margaret River, Yallingup, Bunbury
The twigs cinder. The sound of footsteps in the late summer brush, amidst the spinifex and fool’s gold. Gum leaves coiling and painting sculptures of smoke on the canvas of blackened night. Welcoming strangers and awakening the spirits.
Marks Atkins knows this place. A journeyman whose life has been mapped by the hearth. A place to pull up for the night. Eat and chase the cold from your bones. A congregation of souls, blown in with the wind. Revealing secrets. Speaking unspeakable truths. Yarns as tall as the horizon. Mungangga Garlagula: “by the fire.”
A troubadour of both land and soul, Mungangga Garlagula is Atkin’s paean to a life lived ‘in between’. Best known as the country’s preeminent virtuoso of the didgeridoo, Atkins is a true iconoclast. A living conduit between then and now and the place down the track we cannot yet see. Created in collaboration with Finnish-born, Australian-based sonic architect Erkki Veltheim, Mungangga Garlagula is a roadmap to the shadowlands of the most ancient place on earth: Western Australia.
It is here in the liminal plains where memories dance like dragonflies after summer rain. Atkins’ spoken word both menacing and transcendent, braided with the timbre of Veltheim’s primordial soundscape.
“You get in a state,” Atkins’ says of Mungangga Garlagula. “Touch, sense, smell and sound of country. The bush and the place within. It takes you on a journey to where I’ve been. All of us around the fire, telling stories like we always have done.”
A descendant of the storied Yamatji people, Atkins’ music has taken him to gilded concert halls the world over and countless bar room stages in between. Mungangga Garlagula is a manifestation of this journey, laid out like a calico sheet beneath the stars upon the lonely stretch. Music that rouses the spectres and brings the shadows ever closer.
Too, this is an existential waymarker for the four-decade old Tura – Australia’s leading auteurs of the sonic arts. A juncture where its old and new worlds collide in aural splendour: navigating the frontier lands of sound, whilst endeavouring to make sense of this place. Mining not for riches, but for meaning.
Artistic Team
Mark Atkins | Co-creator, director & performer
Erkki Veltheim Co-creator & performer
Soundbed Performers (recorded)
Genevieve Lacey | Recorders
Vanessa Tomlinson Percussion
Stephen Magnusson | Guitar
Anthony Pateras | Piano
Scott Tinkler | Trumpet
Erkki Veltheim Violin
Ruth Little | Dramaturg
Niklas Pajanti Lighting Design
Emily Barrie | Set/Costume Design
Tour Production
Guy Smith | Audio Engineer/Production Management
Mark Haslam | Production Manager
Tristen Parr | Technical Producer
Presentation Partners
Albany Entertainment Centre
Denmark Arts
Margaret River Heart
Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre
Shire of Bussleton
Project funding partners
The Mungangga Garlagula Tour has been made possible with the support of the Western Australian State Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ Regional Arts and Cultural Investment Program and the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
Mungangga Garlagula was commissioned by Tura with the support of the Australian Government through Creative Australia its principal arts investment and advisory body and Ulrike Kein AO
Kulininpalaju | Photo by Edify Media
Kulininpalaju
July–November Martu Country and Nyiyaparli Country
Kulininpalaju is a long-term creative partnership between Tura and Martumili Artists, established in 2019. The project explores the possibilities of collective listening and recording of Country and culture through collaboration between Martu artists and communities and Australian sound artists Philip Samartzis and Annika Moses. The term Kulininpalaju (We Are Listening) encapsulates the core Martu values and innovation of the project in which diverse cultural and creative practices converge to express traditional and contemporary knowledge systems.
Focusing on Martu-led intercultural collaboration, Kulininpalaju has developed a strong methodology for creative sound art. This involves artists being mentored in sound recording and production, compositional techniques and strategies, the undertaking of collective sound recording trips, and working cooperatively towards exhibition and performance outcomes. By using sound as a medium to share Country, the project supports intergenerational knowledge transfer and collective cultural wellbeing. The initiative amplifies Martu voices and fosters dynamic connections between cultural heritage and contemporary sound art practices.
Central to the project is the Kulininpalaju Sound Archive, comprising hundreds of hours of field recordings collected with and by the communities of Parnpajinya, Jigalong, Parnngurr, Punmu, and Kunawarritji. Over 29 Martu artists have contributed recordings of their Country, capturing environmental soundscapes and cultural activities. The archive serves as the foundation for creating immersive sound compositions and interdisciplinary collaborations with visual and digital media. It is also being developed into an online curated resource, ensuring that Martu cultural heritage remains accessible to those away from Country.
Kulininpalaju examines the complex dynamics of climate, landscape, technology, and human interaction through sound. The project highlights the interconnectedness of these elements, creating new narratives that reflect the resilience and vitality of Martu culture. By documenting and sharing the sounds of Martu Country, Kulininpalaju celebrates cultural heritage, fosters creative innovation, and invites audiences to engage deeply with the significance of Country and the stories it holds.
” I just couldn’t believe the sounds, taking me back to country and telling stories without words.”
Sylvia Wilson, Martu Artist and Curator
Kulininpalaju | Photo by Edify Media
Warrarnku Ninti Celebration
July | East Pilbara Arts Centre
The 2024 Kulinpalaju on country residency saw the Tura Team collaborating with Martu artists to create three distinct sound works as part The Warrarnku Ninti Celebration presented by Martumili Artists, Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa and Tura. Each work was composed from the Kulininpalaju sound archives Tura’s artistic team worked closely with Martu artists to weave these recordings into immersive soundscapes, highlighting the deep knowledge systems and ancestral stories of the region.
In July 2024, East Pilbara Arts Centre was transformed into an immersive audiovisual experience featuring The Kujungka (All Together as One) exhibition, the Warrarnku Ninti (Knowledge of Country) Sound and Light Show and The Kulinpalaju Sound Experience, The Kujungka Exhibition featured paintings by leading Martu artists, including Judith Anya Samson, Muuki Taylor, Nola Taylor, Bugai Whoulter, Cyril Whoulter, and Corban Clause Williams.
The Warrarnku Ninti Sound and Light Show featured animated projections developed by visual artist Sohan Ariel Hayes in close colaboration with Martu artists.
2024 Tura Team
Professor Philip Samartzis Lead Sound Artist
Annika Moses Sound Artist
2024 Martumili Team
Rhianna Stewart | Acting Martumili Manager
Mayma Awaida | Martumili Project Officer
2024 Community Artists
Marlene Anderson
Gladys Kuyu Bidu (Cultural Advisor)
Owen John Bilijabu
Dean Brookes
Rianne Burton
Mayika Chapman
Corina Jadai
Sarah Jones (Cultural Advisor)
Alana Patch
Anya Samson
Bianca Simpson
Kimeal Simpson
Alysha Taylor
Corban Clause Williams
Local Partners
Martumili Artists
Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ Rangers)
Punmu Community
RAWA Community School
Project Funding Partners
BHP Billiton, RMIT School of Art
Shire of East Pilbara
The Western Australian Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ Creative Communities Recovery Program
“ Tura’s approach goes beyond creating mind-blowing art; it’s about unearthing stories, building relationships, and uncovering previously unseen possibilities.”
Warrarnku Ninti Celebration | Photo by Edify Media
Warrarnku Ninti Celebration |
Photo by Edify Media
Kulininpalaju | Photo by Edify Media
Sound FX
Ongoing | Fitzroy Valley, Kimberley region
The Sound FX project underpins Tura’s driving purpose to collaborate and engage meaningfully in long-term service of First Nations community partners across the Kimberley region. Facilitated by award-winning community musician, researcher and educator Dr Gillian Howell this program aims to strengthen and diversify the ways that music-making can support community goals around language knowledge, wellbeing, and healing.
In 2024, Sound FX made significant strides in ensuring lasting social impact to the communities and organisations with which we collaborate. Tura maintains active partnerships with local Fitzroy Valley organisations, including Fitzroy Valley District High School (FVDHS), Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services (Nindi) and Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre (MWRC).
In 2024, we completed the final stages of the Baya Gawiy songwriting project, culminating in The Buga Yanu Junba songbook (meaning ‘songs for children’ in Bunuba language). Anticipated to be launched in 2025, this songbook offers a collection of children’s songs written by Fitzroy Valley women and educators in four languages: Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Walmajarri and Kimberly Kriol.
This cultural and creative asset, published by Indigenous Literacy Foundation, is accompanied by a 22-track album of local voices and is set to be the most extensive publication of its kind in Australia.
Illustrations were contributed by songwriters and their families, as well as children at Fitzroy Valley Senior High School who have been learning the songs and adding their voices to the recordings.
This public facing outcome is the culmination of three years of action research undertaken by Tura, Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre and University of Melbourne, investigating the wellbeing benefits of collaborative songwriting and singing in heritage languages. This songbook is a testament to the strength and resilience of Fitzroy Valley communities and language educators without whom this project could never have happened.
2024 Creative Team
Dr Gillian Howell | Creative Director
Annika Moses Project Coordinator and Facilitator
Local collaborators and co-researchers:
Patsy Bedford (Bunuba)
June Oscar (Bunuba)
Amarillo Oscar (Bunuba)
Marmingee Hand (Walmajarri)
Eva Nargoodah (Walmajarri)
June Nixon (Walmajarri)
Patricia Cox (Gooniyandi)
Brenda Shaw (Gooniyandi)
Cissy Nugget (Gooniyandi)
Irene Bent (Walmajarri)
Faith Atwell (Walmajarri)
Samantha Frank (Gooniyandi)
Jayedene Green (Bunuba)
Susan Hoad (Bunuba)
Robyn Long (Gooniyandi)
Delphine Shandley (Gooniyandi)
David ‘Bullen’ Rogers (Walmajarri)
Project Donors
Graeme and Lorraine Rowley, Bruce and Charmaine Cameron, Joan Spiller and Philip Yetton, Helen Symon and Ian Lulham
Project Funding Partners
Minderoo Foundation
The Feilman Foundation
Alexandra & Lloyd Martin Family Foundation
The University of Melbourne
Local Partners
Fitzroy Valley District High School
Baya Gawiy Buga yani Jandu yani u Centre
Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre
Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency
Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services
Acknowledgements
Tura and the artists thank the communities that have partnered with us and the many Indigenous mobs who call Fitzroy Crossing home, including the Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Nyikina, Walmajarri and Wangkatjungka peoples. We thank these peoples for their ongoing care, custodianship and connection to the land. Thank you to the Elders and community members who have welcomed us onto Country.
“ The language journey in the Kimberley has always been with education. Many years ago, our Elders began to ... record our languages so that the children will be able to speak our languages when we are gone. ... We’ve come a long way. I now sit here as an Elder myself. And I’m very proud to see the vision that was created by my Elders all those years ago still being carried on today. Those Elders have left us, but their dreams are coming true.”
Patsy Bedford, Senior Language Custodian, Chair of the Kimberley Language Resource Centre and key collaborator in the
project
Baya Gawiy Songwriting
Sound FX | Photo by Edify Media
“Each year is testament to Tura’s unwavering commitment to artistic excellence and deep engagement with First Nations communities.”
Robyn Glindemann, Board Chair
Sound FX | Photo by Edify Media
Sound FX | Photo by Edify Media
Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool
January/February | Western Australian Museum, Boorloo/Perth
Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool (Gija for old car) is a powerful cultural object full of sound, story, intercultural collaboration and reconciliation.
The project began in 2017 when an old car wreck was converted into a sonic sculpture and instrument by composer and sound artist Jon Rose. Tura commissioned emerging and established Gija artists to paint onto the sonic sculpture in 2018. The paintings depict stories of dreaming, Country, cars and journeys.
In 2020 the WA Museum acquired Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool, and in August and September of 2023 Tura presented The Journey Down, an epic tour and performance of Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool from Kununurra to Perth to deliver the car to its new home at Boola Bardip WA Museum.
Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool is now a part of the WA Museum’s permanent collection and could be seen on display earlier this year as part of Three Journeys at WA Museum Boola Bardip. To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, The Journey Down performers reunited to perform excerpts from the work.
As part of the exhibition visitors could watch footage of the tour and excerpts from the performance projected onto the car. These were created by video and animation artist Sohan Hayes.
Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool was put on permanent display in 2024 where it will share stories of our regional communities, Gija culture and be enjoyed by visitors from all over the world.
Gija Artists
Shirley Purdie
Gordon Barney
Nancy Nodea
Lindsay Malay
Gabriel Nodea
Eddie Nulgit
Charlene Carrington
Mark Nodea
Evelyn Malgil
Andrew (Pelican) Daylight
Jon Rose | Sound Sculpture Concept and Creation Sohan Hayes Video and Animation
Tristen Parr Installation Sound Design
Bohdan Warchomij | Photography and Videography 2017–2018
Mark Jones | Photography and Videography 2020 Jess Wyld | Photography 2021
Laure Bernard WW Videography 2021
Edify Media | Photography and Videography 2022–2023
Partners
Western Australian Museum
Warmun Community Inc
Ngalangangpum School
East Kimberley Job Pathways
Project Funding Partners
The creation and development of Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool has been supported by the State Government of Western Australia through the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries, the Australian Government through the Regional Arts Fund, Healthway and the Ian Potter Foundation.
“Our evolution has brought us to a point where we are focused on long-term intercultural collaborations that make a significant social impact.”
Tos Mahoney Founder, Artistic Director
Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool
Photo by Edify Media
Warnarral Ngoorrngoorrool
Photo by Edify Media
“A fine example of Australian eco-artistry.”
Kate Milligan, Australian Music Centre
Louise Devenish performing Alluvial Gold |
Photo by Edify Media
Alluvial Gold
Produced
by Tura
May 13–17 | Classical:NEXT, Berlin, Germany August 19–23 | The Australian Performing Arts Exchange (APAX), Naarm/Melbourne
In 2024, the innovative performance-installation Alluvial Gold, created by percussionist Louise Devenish, composer Stuart James, and visual artist Erin Coates, was showcased at both Classical:NEXT and the Australian Performing Arts Exchange (APAX).
With a goal of further presentation outcomes in Australia and internationally, these pitch presentations highlighted the work’s combination of live percussion, electronic processing, and visual art, all inspired by the ecological narratives of Australian rivers. Alluvial Gold immerses audiences in the underwater soundscapes of estuarine environments, utilising sculptural instruments and field recordings to evoke the complex histories and ecologies of waterways like the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River). The presentations at these prominent arts markets underscored the project’s interdisciplinary approach and its resonance within contemporary performance contexts.
Artistic Team
Louise Devenish Creative Director and Performer Stuart James | Creative Director and Composer Erin Coates | Visual Artist, video and sculpture
Mia Holton | Projection Design
Bruce McKinven Set Design
Peter Young | Lighting design
Acknowledgements
Alluvial Gold is produced by Tura. Dr Louise Devenish is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award funded by the Australian Government.
Coalescing Towards
Presented by Strut in association with Tura and Perth Festival
February 15–18 | State Theatre Courtyard, , Boorloo/Perth
STRUT Dance in association with Tura and Perth Festival presented Italian artist Michele Rizzo’s Coalescing Towards for the PERTH MOVES hub.
Performed in the State Theatre Courtyard, the work explored contemplation with a gradual intensification of energy and cohesion, exploring repetition and unison as central themes to examine how movement fosters togetherness. Rooted in Rizzo’s earlier works from the HIGHER xtn., Reaching, and Rest series, the piece drew inspiration from communal dancing practices.
Coalescing Towards was developed in collaboration with local and international dance artists from the Perth MOVES Laboratory and featured an original composition by Australian sound artist Özlem Kesik, commissioned by Tura.
Artistic Team
Michele Rizzo | Director and Choreographer
Ozlem Kesic | Composer
Performers
Mitchell Christie
Ella Watson-Heath
Elsa Bignell
Olivia Adams
Rhys Ryan
Cameron Park
Francesca Fenton
Shaun Johnston
Rhiana Katz
Chen Yi En
Harrison Cook
Campbell Gateley
Acknowledgements
Supported by the State Government of Western Australia through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries –Culture and the Arts, Judy and Wilmot Matthews Foundation, City of Perth and Creative Australia.
Coalescing Towards | Photo by Edify Media
Tactus
Produced by Tura and the WA Museum April 19 & 20 | Hackett Hall, WA Museum Boola Bardip
At the premiere of electroacoustic audio-visual work Tactus, creators Kate Milligan, Olivia Davies, and Jonty Coy explored the materiality of cultural heritage through experimental and historically informed performance.
Inspired by a Renaissance flute recovered from a 500-year-old shipwreck, Tactus blended field recordings, chant, video installation and live performance, reimagining the instrument’s lost journey. Tactus transported audiences through time, merging postmodern and Renaissance practices in a deeply immersive sonic experience.
Artistic Team
Kate Milligan | Composer and Director Jonty Coy | Performance and Historical Musicology
Olivia Davies Video Design HIP Company | Ensemble
Shaun Ng | Lute
Acknowledgements
An APRA/AMCOS Art Music Fund Commission. Produced by Tura.
Supported by the State Government of Western Australia through Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries, and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
This project has also been made possible through St George’s College, Perth.
Images and video by Olivia Davies.
Tactus. Photo by Olivia Davies.
Photo by Olivia Davies
Twin Peaks WAS 30
Decibel New Music Ensemble
9 – 11 May | Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Boorloo/Perth
Twin Peaks Was 30 commemorates the 30th anniversary of David Lynch’s film Fire Walk With Me (1992). Decibel transformed PICA's Central Galleries into an immersive concert environment, adorned with red velvet and evocative lighting designed by Jenny Hector, reflecting the enigmatic ambiance of the original series.
The program featured a 30-minute reimagining of Angelo Badalamenti’s original film score, blending synth instrumentals, twanging guitars, and reverb-drenched soundscapes arranged by Candice Sussnjar. The audience were guided through the entire PICA building to experience new works by Australian artists
James Rushford (VIC), Thembi Soddell (VIC), Rebecca Erin Smith (WA), Rachel Dease (WA) and Matt Warren (TAS). Vocalist
Rachael Dease brought Julie Cruise to life, adding her signature haunting atmosphere.
Twin Peaks Was 30 was part of Decibel’s ‘Was’ series, celebrating significant anniversaries by reinterpreting iconic works and continued the ensemble’s innovative approach to electro acoustic performance techniques.
Program
Fire Walks with Me | Badalamenti (arr. Susnjar/Decibel)
The Tulpa’s Meet | Matt Warren (world premiere, TAS)
Questions in a World of Blue | Badalamenti/ Lynch (with Julee Cruise) (arr. Susnjar/Decibel)
Since I was 12 | Rachael Dease (world premiere, WA)
Falling and Laura’s Theme Badalamenti/Lynch (arr. Susnjar/Decibel)
Artistic Team
Cat Hope | Artistic Director, Voice/bass
Jenny Hector | Lightin /Stage Design
Candice Susnjar Guitar/Arrangements
Rachel Dease Vocals
Tristen Parr | Cello/Production
Louise Devenish | Percussion
Stuart James | Electronics/Keyboards
Lindsay Vickery | Reeds/Vocals
Aaron Dungey Viola
Phil Waldren Bass/Wind Machine
Rebecca Erin (WA)
Rachael Dease (WA)
Matt Warren (TAS)
James Rushford (VIC)
Acknowledgements
Presented by PICA and Tura. Supported by PICA’s Art Commissioners
Twin Peaks WAS 30 | Images by Edify Media
IN DEVELOPMENT
Revivification
Premiering at the Art Gallery of WA in 2025 | Boorloo/Perth
Revivification is the result of four years of intensive research and development, bringing together expertise in biological arts, neuroscience, and sound.
This groundbreaking project has been developed by artists Guy Ben-Ary, Nathan Thompson, and Matt Gingold in collaboration with neuroscientist Stuart Hodgetts at the University of Western Australia (UWA), each with over 25 years of experience in pushing the boundaries of art and science.
The project’s physical development began in 2020 when Alvin Lucier generously contributed his blood to the research. This was a crucial step in the creation of Revivification, as his white blood cells were sent to Harvard Medical School to undergo reprogramming into stem cells using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (IPSC) technology. The team then undertook the complex process of differentiating these stem cells into cerebral organoids – three-dimensional structures that mimic aspects of early brain development.
Artistic Team
Guy Ben-Ary
Nathan Thompson
Stuart Hodgetts
Matt Gingold
Alvin Lucier
Revivification | Images by Artist
Fine Tuning: A Reconciliation of Indigenous and Western Musical Traditions
Ongoing | Adelaide, Remote/Regional South Australia
Fine Tuning: A Reconciliation of Indigenous and Western Musical Traditions is a research project led by Dr Dylan Crismani, Co-Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) at the University of Adelaide.
Funded by the Australian Research Council, the project focuses on central Australian song lines to deepen the understanding and application of the intricate tuning systems that underpin traditional Indigenous musical practices. As part of this research grant, the goal is to commission indigenous composers to write new works for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. His recordings of these works will be diffused into an octophonic array and Tura will tour these works in 2026 and beyond.
Academics
Dr Dylan Crismani
Dr Cat Hope
Dr Marcia Langton
Dr Gabriella Smart
Partners
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
Australian String Quartet
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
South Australian Museum
Soundstream
University of Adelaide
University of Melbourne
Photo by Olivia Davies
Sound Connections
Ongoing | Indonesia
Building on the successful Kimberly-Indonesia project in 2018–2019, Tura is reigniting Sound Connections with a deeper artistic exploration of the idea of Kai Jawa – the name given to the Kimberley region by Indonesian traders prior to European colonisation.
From here we will expand our connections to include artists and conversations in East Timor, Malaysia, PNG and the Pacific … creating and re-creating our own map of cultural connections across borders.
In 2024, Tura hosted a series of online forums and local workshops exploring the questions … what were the cultural and musical links that existed before the creation of nation states? And what could an imagined future be like for these musical connections in a borderless world.
In 2025 Sound Connections will have on the ground collaboration in Indonesia featuring Indonesian and First Nations creatives.
Research led by Kate Ben-Tovim Strategic Advisor- Sound Connections
Nyak Ina Raseuki Tura Cultural Fellow (Indonesia) (Institut Kesenian Jakarta)
Chris Griffiths Tura Cultural Fellow (Australia) (Mirriwong)
Tos Mahoney | Tura Founder and Artistic Director
Courtesy of the Australian Embassy, Jakarta
Speechless: An Opera by Cat Hope
Recording Project
In 2024, the live recording of Speechless –
Cat Hope’s 2019 Tura produced Perth Festival premiere – was prepared for a 2025 album release on Hat Hut Records.
This graphically notated wordless opera, performed by the Australian Bass Orchestra, soloists, and a community choir, transforms urgent themes into a visceral sonic experience.
Originally inspired by The Forgotten Children report, the album captures the opera’s haunting, wordless narrative and highlights the dynamic interplay of experimental vocals and deep, resonant instrumentation. Featuring Karina Utomo, Sage Pbbbt, Caitlin Cassidy, and Judith Dodsworth, the album distils Speechless into a powerful, immersive listening experience, extending its impact beyond its original performance at the Sunset Heritage Precinct. The album is set for release on Hat Hut Records in mid-2025.
Speechless Team
Live performance and album Produced by Tura
APRA AMCOS / AMC 2024 Art Music Award
Excellence in a Regional Area for The Journey Down 14 August The Malthouse Theatre, Naarm
Tura won the Excellence in a Regional Area Category at the 2024 annual Art Music Awards presented by APRA AMCOS in conjunction with the Australian Music Centre. The award was given in acknowledgment of the historic Journey Down project and Tour in 2023.
The awards recognise achievement in the composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian music and covers activity across contemporary classical music, contemporary jazz, improvised music, experimental music, and sound art.
The Journey Down performer and cultural advisor Chris Griffiths was joined by Tura AD Tos Mahoney, and TJD performers Vanessa Tomlinson and Tristen Parr to receive the award.
Photo by Rick Clifford
TURA PEOPLE & PARTNERS
2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Robyn Glindemann (Chair)
Rod Campbell
Julian Tompkin
Darren Grondal
2024 TEAM
Tos Mahoney | Artistic Director/CEO
Rick Heath | Acting Executive Director
Carly Davenport Acker | Executive Producer/ Executive Director
Tristen Parr | Producer
Annika Moses | Project Coordinator
Medeia Cohan | Business Development
Rachel Ryan | Communications Manager
Sian Murphy | Communications Coordinator
Hina Stevens | Finance Officer
2024 PARTNERS
Government Funding Partners
Tura’s ongoing existence and programs are enabled by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body and the Western Australia State Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries in association with Lotterywest.
Government Project Funding Partners
The Western Australia Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries
The Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body
Western Australian State Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ Regional Arts and Cultural Investment Program
