Programs & Events
Join acclaimed writer, producer and director John Harvey in conversation during National Reconciliation Week for an exploration of The Heart of the Universe – an immersive video and sound installation created by John in collaboration with Uncle Water Waia for the 25th Biennale of Sydney.

John Harvey and Walter Waia are artists from Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Saibai Island in the Torres Strait. Their new work, The Heart of the Universe, is a three-channel video and sound installation that delves into the profound connection between rising sea levels and the irrepressible spirit of their people. Join John in conversation for an insightful discussion on the ideas and themes explored in The Heart of the Universe, which presents shifting images, archival memory, and embodied sound to evoke a more complex understanding of an island being swallowed by the sea.

Tickets & pricing
Free, please RSVP.
Duration
12 - 1pm
Age Suitability
All Ages
Accessibility
Wheelchair Accessible

About the Artist

John Harvey and Walter Waia are Torres Strait Islander artists from Saibai Island whose collaboration weaves together contemporary practice and cultural knowledge grounded in Saibai Island world view. Working across mediums including film, theatre, installation, choreography, and music, their work explores memory, belonging, and home against a backdrop of rising sea levels and diasporic identity. Their acclaimed short film, Katele (Mudskipper) (2022), exemplifies their voice: lyrical; grounded, and resonant in deep cultural authority. They create contemporary mythologies that are inseparable from culture, language, island homeland, and community – art that embodies a living continuum of ancestral knowledge. At the Biennale of Sydney, their work will stand as both testimony and invitation.

Born & Lives in: Australia
Kalaw Kawaw Ya / Saibai Island, Torres Strait