The Substation/​ Gabi Briggs/​ TENYA/

PRESENTED BY THE SUBSTATION AND LIQUID ARCHITECTURE, SUPPORTED BY YIRRAMBOI

TENYA, meaning 'Us' in Anaiwan, acts as an archive of cultural revitalisation. This sonic-visual work by Anaiwan and Gumbayngirr artist Gabi Briggs builds on her 2024 film ARKAN & IRBELA. Preparing for a walk on Country, Briggs layers field recordings of ancestral land with dialogues where voices surface and recede. Textures of Anaiwan Country and language renewal unsettle colonial assumptions of Indigeneity, their echoes threaded with violent geographies and resonant absence. A singular figure anchors the work, inviting audiences to grapple with what 'Us' means when survival demands solidarity and sovereignty. TENYA maps continuity through returns to place, practice, and the unspoken.

LISTENING TO COUNTRY – THE FIRST NATIONS EXPERIMENTAL SOUND COMMISSION

Gabi Briggs is the inaugural recipient of the Listening to Country — First Nations Experimental Sound Commission.

In the first of its kind nationally, the Listening to Country — First Nations Experimental Sound Commission provides critical support and a unique pathway for one First Nations sound artist to develop a new sound work, co-commissioned by The Substation and Liquid Architecture. The program offers significant creative and financial support to the selected artist and aims to restore the balance of access and visibility in experimental sound for First Nations Artists. This initiative offers the selected artist a unique opportunity to develop new creative languages and forge new creative futures through experimental sound.

ARTISTIC TEAM
James Howard – Creative Producer: First Nations Programming, Liquid Architecture
Hayden Ryan – Spatial Sound Designer
Lawrence English – Advisor

CONTENT WARNINGS

This work contains sudden loud noises, low lighting and violence.

ACCESS

This event is wheelchair accessible and gender neutral accessible toilets are available. Registered assistance animals are welcome.