Rediscovering Indigenous Languages - SLNSW

A contemporary response to the Library's historical Aboriginal languages collection in a visual format. Lucy spent some time at the Library to experience the physical collections and to re-intepret the recorded words and meanings on a new and personal level. The result was three artworks; Gurayn, Message Sticks, and Spoken Lines - applied across a range of applications - from website and digital content associated with the project, to bookmarks postcards and print media and interiors application in the Marie Bashir Reading Room.

In 2014, as part of Sydney Corroboree Festival, a recognition event was held to mark the completion of the project and to launch the Rediscovering Indigenous Languages website. Featuring art from Lucy Simpson, the website includes a searchable map for finding material from across Australia. It makes accessible all the wordlists and vocabulary discovered during the project. It's an organic and evolving website meaning that new words and lexicons can keep being added by community groups.

Image by Lucy Simpson.