Kaul and Wagi from Moab stringband enacting old customs

Kaul and Wagi from Moab stringband enacting old customs / View full image

‘A Bit Na Ta’ locates the – source of the sea – Blanche Bay, Rabaul – in the Tolai language of East New Britain. It is also the title of a project commissioned for the upcoming Queensland Art Gallery exhibition ‘No 1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966-2016’Comprising a music video installation and performance event, the project will feature newly commissioned songs by leading Australian and Papua New Guinean musicians including the celebrated George Telek. These will draw on the rich oral histories of the Tolai people, transposing into contemporary beats, personal stories of the period between 1875-1975.

Project leader, musician and producer David Bridie shares some more views from his stay in Papua New Guinea

Over the past two weeks we’ve been travelling all around the Gazelle Peninsula and surrounds filming, recording, listening and talking (and chewing Buai). We are in a vain search for a kidolona pirpir-the full story of the past 100 years in Rabaul. This is of course an impossible task. But our historian Gideon Kakabin is passionate about the story needing to told from the Tolai perspective and that’s our pursuit.

Telek recording a Bit na Ta

Telek recording a Bit na Ta / View full image

George Telek has come up from Raluana to the studio here at Vunaulul and been in for four days of recording new songs especially for the project, ‘Boro’ and ‘Lili ram Kavavar’ and ‘a Bit na Ta’. He’s coming back again today. Yesterday Donald Lessy from Barike came and in played guitar on ‘Boro’ and is helping to sort out the musical and logistical arrangements the ‘Abot a Bitapaka’ Tolai choir song. Donald was a great friend of Glen Lows. Donald is quiet and unassuming, has a smoothness to his guitar playing and we’ve been friends for a long time but have never managed to work on a project together so that was a treat for both of us.

Gilnata Stringband

Gilnata Stringband / View full image

Last week we took the banana boat out to Mioko Island in the Duke of Yorks where we recorded the Gilnata Stringband’s new composition ‘Jack Emanuel’ about the murdered Australian District Commissioner. Gideon had explained the story to the legendary Alan Tobing who went away and wrote the song. We shot a film clip for Gilnata by the lagoon that featured a “varvalaruai” (an acted re-enactment of Jack Emanuel’s unfortunate death after a land dispute at Kabaira on the north coast) as well as recording the songs ‘Oscar Tammur’ and ‘Tutupele’. Gilnata have a history of telling oral history in their stringband songs and the Duke of Yorks style is totally different from the Tolai arrangements even though they are only ten miles away from each other. Miko offers unique vistas over to New Ireland and back to the volcanoes and whilst we were there massive storm blew on the north side of the island over the reef.

We ventured down to North Baining, to Ragaga Bay to Glen low’s block, Glen is buried there. We spent a lot of time sitting on his concrete tomb and chewing the fat. Glen accompanied Telek and I on tours for 15 years to the UK, USA, Solomons and Vanuatu and all round Australia. His son Gareth is the cameraman on this trip and is capturing minutiae, people and panorama with a unique eye. Kaul and Wagi from the Moab Stringband came down and in the varvalaruai tradition acted out old customs down in the mangrove swamps there-the working of abut (lime and clay applied to the face, tanget leaf necklaces, trading of tobacco and coconuts and the like). We recorded all sorts of bush and village ambiences helped because the house backs on to a big mangrove area and at night the insects and frogs create an all embracing sound-a symphony that Graeme Revell from SPK would have delighted in (Revell is a great Australian composer made a seminal electronica album sampling insect sounds!.)

Bung Marum and Revie Kinkin recording ‘Apinpidik’

Bung Marum and Revie Kinkin recording ‘Apinpidik’ / View full image

Yesterday we recorded two beautiful old women from Wagi’s village, Bung Marum and Revie Kinkin in Bitabaur who sang an ‘Apinpidik’ for the project. Gideon found notes his mother, Lilak IaKaru had hand written in an exercise book from the 1960s when the Nilai Ra varden broke out from being “just” a women meeting group to joining with the warbete and the mataungan association to form the initial provincial government. In writing it reads, “nau meri i laik sanap wantaim ol man” (Its time for women to stand up and be equal to men) as well a disertation on the need for freedom from fear to be in the constitution. Lila passed away, she was a dynamo. Gideon, George and I look forward to working with curator Lisa Hilli working in ol singsing bilong meri na story bilong em (song of women’s stories). Last night we recorded the 95 year old Lasiel ToRavien (see picture below) playing a range of Tolai garamut drum beats dressed in bilas. In amazing condition for his age, the recording was astonishing as Lasiel played a range of minamai ceremonial Tolai garamut beats that will feature in the soundtrack.

Lasiel ToRavien

Lasiel ToRavien / View full image

We have been photographing this classic old colonial text, Das Deutche Kolonial Buch, a 1900 book of all the German colonies around the world… frightening really. Gideon’s range of knowledge is a constant inspiration and for me working with George Telek in our 30th year of collaboration is rather special, especially on a project as comprehensive as this. Gideon made the long 5 hour boat trip down to Tol Pantation on the south coast with many descendants of the 2nd 22nd battalion (Lark force) of whom at least 150 were slaughtered having been left to defend Rabaul against the Japanese in 1942.Gideon said it was a very emotional journey with descendants looking for their father or uncles graves.

The volcanoes are always present and we’ve been filming them from a range of different angles. They of course look very different depending on the angle and proximity and their mood transforms Blanche bay. We’ve filmed and recorded sounds from the Namata ceremony at Matupit and will be at the Minamai in Bitabour next week when ten Tumbuans dance the strength of custom, song and dance in these occasions is wonderfully intense and dynamic. We look forward to Anslom and Moab coming into the studio over the next two weeks.

Themes for the a Bit na Ta installation are becoming more apparent, the Tumbuan Society and its inherent artistry of deception (Pidik na Pui), the oceans source, the volcanoes, gardens, the Vunutarai clan systems, the kivung (Tolai village based self-governance) the ‘Apinpidik’, ‘Malira’ and ‘Lili’ styles of song along with Tolai assertiveness in the face of wars, volcanic eruptions and the century long campaign to get their land back and retain it resurfacing constantly (The 6 day war, the Kokopo wars, the Navuneram Incident and the Matungan association etc). Gideon George and I, a whole host of other collaborators are swimming in music, art ,sound recordings, stories, photos and film. So many great songs to work with… there must be an album in this as well as the a Bit na Ta installation at No 1 Neighbour.

David Bridie, Project leader, musician and producer

Part 1 | A Bit Na Ta

‘No.1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966-2016’
15 October 2016 – 29 January 2017
The exhibition presents work by artists from Papua New Guinea created from the mid-1960s, through Independence in 1975, until today and focuses on the vibrancy of contemporary artistic expression, a direction that is unique in Australia. A key conceptual thread is the importance of the ongoing relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea with projects profiling ongoing creative relationships between communities and individuals.

‘No.1 Neighbour’ is supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation and through the Australian Government through the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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    A Bit Na Ta: A Sense of Place, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

    ‘A Bit Na Ta’ locates the – source of the sea – Blanche Bay, Rabaul – in the Tolai language of East New Britain. It is also the title of a project commissioned for the upcoming Queensland Art Gallery exhibition ‘No 1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966-2016’. Comprising a music video installation and performance event, the project will feature newly commissioned songs by leading Australian and Papua New Guinean musicians including the celebrated George Telek. These will draw on the rich oral histories of the Tolai people, transposing into contemporary beats, personal stories of the period between 1875-1975. Project leader, musician and producer David Bridie shares some views from the first week Its been raining a lot in Rabaul… humidity drips, but people get on with what they have to do, as do we. I am in Rabaul for 6 weeks engaging with a whole range of Tolai musicians and filming and illuminating the stories that local historian Gideon Kakabin has noted as being important. Gideon is writing a book on the extraordinary history of Rabaul, finally told from a local Tolai perspective and is a key participant in the ‘A Bit Na Ta’ project. The ubiquitous Simpson Harbour volcanoes are ever present. During the week we have been down to Sulphur Creek via the eroded pumice roads of old Rabaul town with Melki, an ex-army man, who is the last of the Wup (fishing basket) makers. These fishing baskets work in a very simple way – the fish swim into them and get so confused they can’t get out. They look rather beautiful also, we will have one as part of the ‘A Bit Na Ta’ exhibition. In his outside wind haus, (shelter) Melki is in the process of building a new one. Melki was in the army from the 1950s stationed at Manus, Vanimo and Wewak. He told a great story about when Tolai musician and songwriter George Telek’s father who was the leader of the Rabaul brass band. Telek senior died when George was two. The next day we were joined by Garret Low, the son of Glen Low from the Barike band who passed away a few years back. Glen toured with Telek and I all over the globe, so it’s great to have Garret along as an audio assistant and an extra camera man. The wantok system at play. We have set up a makeshift studio at Gideon’s house at Vunaulul. It works best when the neighbours aren’t blasting Bon Jovi or the man from the Haus Lotu is not mowing the grass! We’ve been having some great recording sessions at night when the heat drifts and the noises die down. Gideon suggested recording this Tumbuan Kinavai song called Oaga Na Pipi to open ‘A Bit Na Ta’… Basil from Nunga Nunga and his nephews Basil and Tobing came and sang this singsing tumbuna. We’ve been mucking around with background ambiences from Gideon’s recordings of kinavai ceremony at Matupit last year. We also drove down to Gaulim in the Baining to meet with Lazarus whose wantoks (family) are the people making 20 pieces of Baining tapa cloth that will work as the textured screen for projections in the installation space in the exhibition in the Queensland Art Gallery. On the way we stopped at Tungnabarau near the old WW2 Japanese airport where the 4 missionaries were killed that sparked off the 6 day war between Talili and the missionary and trader George Brown. This will come into play tomorrow when we head to Mioko in the Duke of York islands to film and record a Tumbuan ceremony and start the writing process with the Gilnata Stringband. Drove back through Kokopo town, Gideon adamant that Rabaul should still be the centre of activity. I agree with him. Kokopo(Kopex) has a beautiful view down to the Duke of Yorks but its basically one very long strip that goes for 5 miles so you cant walk to places and of course it pails into mundaness compared to the ol jewel of the Pacific that was Rabaul with Mango and Casuarina Avenues in full bloom. Garret and I are with Gideon for 6 weeks,. We have plans to record the Moab Stringband, Gilnata Stringband, The Matupit John Wesley Lotu choir, and George and I are coming up with a ‘A Bit Na Ta’ song and two old singsing tumbuna tracks, Mari nata and A tungu Nana. We have been searching for a midi – the shell money grand necklace that the luluai, important figures wore back in the day. Lisa Hilli, our other collaborator has made one her self in Melbourne and has done important research into its significance and inherent power. It’s somewhat of a shame there is not one here in Rabaul itself. Tamang came into the studio last night to record the tutupele (tinduk), a Tolai percussion instrument, kind of like a two note vibraphone but played in a unique fashion. The next week is full of boat trips… Duke Of Yorks, Watom Island and Tol Plantation. Telek is still in Moresby after the Wantok launch. He gets back on Sunday. Shall leave you with a photo of a bicycle in the water at Bita Paka, the site of the first action in WW1. David Bridie, Project leader, musician and producer Want to know what’s on at QAGOMA? Sign up to QAGOMA Enews Looking for an artwork? Search our Collection online ‘No.1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966-2016’ 15 October 2016 – 29 January 2017 The exhibition presents work by artists from Papua New Guinea created from the mid-1960s, through Independence in 1975, until today and focuses on the vibrancy of contemporary artistic expression, a direction that is unique in Australia. A key conceptual thread is the importance of the ongoing relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea with projects profiling ongoing creative relationships between communities and individuals. ‘No.1 Neighbour’ is...
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    a Bit na Ta: The Source Of The Sea

    The a Bit na Ta project within ‘No.1 Neighbour: Art in Papua New Guinea 1966–2016’ is about a ples (place) — Blanche Bay in East New Britain — as experienced by its local people, the Tolai, between 1875 and 1975. As the full moon slowly rises over the shimmering waters of Blanche Bay, fishermen launch their canoes towards the fishing holes that their ancestors have fished for centuries. Prayers and songs to the Kaia, promise of a bountiful catch. a Bit na Ta is the source of the sea. Life begins here. Commissioned specially for the exhibition and led by celebrated Australian musician, composer and music producer David Bridie, a Bit na Ta brings together Tolai historians, artists, musicians and community members to share their perspectives on the events that shaped this century in and around Blanche Bay. At times, this history intersects with major world events, including two devastating World Wars; it illuminates processes of colonisation and political self-determination; and it has recorded cataclysmic volcanic eruptions. Visitors to the installation certainly won’t find a dry, plotted timeline. History can be recorded and shared in many ways. Personal histories are held and triggered by the smell or texture of a cloth, the play of light over a surface. Stories are told and passed on from generation to generation. Objects are exchanged and valued, carrying with them the memory of events, people and place. For the Tolai, life and culture are imbued with sound and music. As project leader David Bridie observes in an interview for the ‘No.1 Neighbour’ exhibition publication: Music is everywhere; men sing on the road side, women sing working their gardens, kids sing on the beach, teenagers are glued to their phones hearing their favourite PNG artists, PMVS blare out distorted local songs… music underpins ceremony… every village has a string band… birds, frog and insect sounds are symphonic at night… a Bit na Ta draws on the importance of music and song for the Tolai. Visitors to the installation will be immersed in a 30-minute sequence of songs and atmospheric sounds accompanied by five video projections. The centrepiece of the installation is the recording of a suite of new songs composed for the project by George Telek, arguably Papua New Guinea’s most famous practitioner. The haunting beauty of Telek’s voice, among characteristically Tolai three-part harmonies, captures the emotive power of key events in Tolai history. Together with Telek, there is a group of new songs by the Moab, Gilnata and Amidel stringbands. The Matupit choir and a group of older Tolai men and women also sing a range of customary songs that fully situate the project and history within a Tolai cultural sphere. Across much of Oceania, music is not separated from life or other art forms. For a Bit na Ta, Melbourne-based artist Lisa Hilli and filmmaker Garett Low have collaborated with the project team to extend a rich aural experience into the visual and sensual realms. However, the bedrock of the project is the extensive cultural and historical knowledge held by Tolai historian Gideon Kakabin. It is Gideon’s understanding of the intersection of history with Tolai life and experience that has shaped much of the content of a Bit na Ta. Within the broader ‘No.1 Neighbour’ exhibition, a Bit na Ta provides important insights into a period of history of Papua New Guinea in which Australia and Australians were heavily involved, for better and — as we will discover — for worse. It also celebrates the ongoing commitment that an individual Australian has made to developing and supporting creative conversations in this young nation. First travelling to Rabaul as part of the celebrated band Not Drowning Waving in 1986, David Bridie has since maintained a close relationship with Telek and his Tolai friends and family as well as championing the extraordinary music of the country through the Wantok Musik Foundation. a Bit na Ta emerges from and is imbued with Bridie’s genuine and deeply felt respect for the Tolai people, and theirs for him. As such, the project is one of the centrepieces of the exhibition. This is an extract from the Gallery’s Artlines magazine available from the Gallery Store. Keep up to date with the Gallery’s seasonal publication delivered each quarter to QAGOMA Members. Music is also essential to Tolai life and ceremony and the a Bit na Ta story is presented via new recordings of singsing tumbuna (ceremonial song), string band, lotu choir style and contemporary soundscapes supported with archival film and new footage of the landscape and ceremony. a Bit na Ta builds upon a 30-year collaboration between celebrated Tolai musician George Telek and Australian musician, composer and producer David Bridie who have drawn on their Tolai wantok (family) and friends including historian and artist Gideon Kakabin to tell the a Bit na Ta story. In Kakabin’s words: A Bit na Ta. The source of the sea. Life begins here. A tinata Marmari aria bit na ta I valu e Ra oaga na pipi The words come from inside the sea he paddles his canoe, a boat of lightening a Bit Na Ta is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The exhibition continues until 29 January 2017. http://blog.qagoma.qld.gov.au/wp-content/media/BLOG-Bit-na-Ta-CD.jpg LISTEN TO THE MUSIC Bit na Ta available from the QAGOMA Store and online EXPLORE THE EXHIBITION INSTALLATION FURTHER DELVE DEEPER INTO THE ART OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA http://blog.qagoma.qld.gov.au/wp-content/media/BLOG-No-1-Neighbour-book-for-blog.jpg BUY THE PUBLICATION IN-STORE AND ONLINE Our richly illustrated hardcover publication accompanies the exhibition, with contributions from Ruth McDougall, Tolai artist and historian Gideon Kakabin, Manus Island musician John Faunt, and commentators Kiri Chan and Ruth Choulai, as well as numerous artist interviews.
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