Translation: Sorry

Photograph by Russell James. Collaborative art by Clifton Bieundurry (AUS).

5’ x 7’ archival pigment ink printed on rag cotton with acrylic and ochre applications.

James’ photograph was taken during a bush fire that he and Bieundurry came upon whilst traveling from Broome to Lake Gregory in North Western Australia. To James it represents the heat and searing pain caused to the Indigenous people.

To Bieundurry the fire recalls a funeral ceremony or ‘Sorry Meeting’, a time when all the tribes of the land come together to pay respect to the deceased, and show through their own respective traditions the appropriate honor to the deceased family and land. There are many rituals and customs that must be observed during this ceremony, including the seating positions of specific relatives during mourning period (which are shown in the plan view of the collaborative art). After the burial takes place, all of the deceased siblings and cousins run around the seated mourners with leaves from the white gum tree whilst chanting to mark the end of the funeral ceremony or ‘Sorry Meeting’.

The plan view was noted to be very similar to the podium and seating arrangement of the Australian Parliament when Prime Minister Rudd delivered his historic apology to Indigenous Australians in February 2008.

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