Mark Atkins & Erkki Veltheim:
Nightfalls
“This is a wonderful opportunity for me to celebrate and honour my Yamatji heritage through my contemporary practice. The best moments happen around the fire late at night under the stars ... I'm really excited to share these histories, real and imagined.” – Mark Atkins
A poet, singer-songwriter and didgeridoo virtuoso, Mark Atkins is a descendant of Western Australia’s Yamitji people, as well as of Irish/Australian heritage, known not only for his masterly playing, but also as a storyteller, composer, percussionist, visual artist and instrument maker.
Nightfalls is a semi-staged program imagined as a gathering around a campfire, featuring poems drawn from Mark's life, stories inspired by the Australian natural and cultural landscape, and tall tales of bushmen, travellers and other colourful characters.
Premiere: UKARIA Cultural Centre, October 2022. Commissioned by Tura with the support of the Australia Council for the Arts and Ulrike Klein AO, and presented in association with UKARIA and Finding Our Voice.