PROGRAM
White Lies
KATINA OLSEN
‘If we muzzle the truth of the land and its people, how are we to learn and understand how to care for it and live within it?
Australia (as we know it) is built on the legal fiction of terra nullius (land belonging to no-one, the basis of the British claim to possession of Australia). Since colonisation of so-called Australia, First Nations people, our voices, stories and issues have been spoken for and misrepresented by those with a power to speak to the masses. What happens when those with a platform to speak to and influence many, share skewed uninformed information affecting a whole society’s understanding of this land’s First Peoples? What happens when this occurs repeatedly, over decades, over generations?
White Lies attempts to show the disparity between truth and a lie and one version of events versus another whilst asking: “if we muzzle the truth of the land and its people, how are we to learn and understand how to care for it and live within it?”.
A NOTE FROM THE CHOREOGRAPHER
I’ve been thinking deeply about how often First Nations communities, our voices, stories and issues are spoken for, and misrepresented, by those with power to speak to the masses.
I’ve been witnessing what is happening at a micro, local level and globally. What are the repercussions when those with a platform to speak to many, share skewed uninformed information affecting a whole society’s understanding of marginalised peoples? We’ve witnessed the damage that silencing and censorship has on mob over and over again, ever since the beginning of colonisation of these lands. Terra nullius (land belonging to no-one) was the legal concept used by the British government to justify the settlement of Australia. Since then, we’ve continued to experience a multitude of injustices, removal of basic human rights and increased, relentless racism due to the untruths told about us and our communities.
White Lies interrogates these injustices, lays it out openly and uses humour to process the insanity, hypocrisy and the violence. We’ve gathered all the misinformation and disinformation, and presented it on the stage for you to decide what you can see, what you consider to be real, what isn’t and what remains hidden.
I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has been part of this process; Tara, Bella, Karlia, Frankie, Ash, Serina, Jen, Sam, Geoffrey, Anna, Frances, Samakshi and Maddy, thank you for your openness and commitment to help reveal what this work needed to be.
To my dear friends Maddy and Frankie at GUTS, thank you for being two of my all time favourite dance allies, fiercely walking the talk in everything you do and your whole hearted belief in my voice as a choreographer and in this work. Lastly but most importantly, thank you to Darumbal Country where I first seeded the idea and thank you to Arrernte Country where the developments took place. Country has a generous and powerful way of teaching and holding us as we continue our Cultural responsibilities and I’m so glad I was here in Mparntwe to realise this work.
- Katina Olsen
WARNINGS
White Lies explores themes of colonisation, white supremacy, sovereignty and truth-telling.
The performance includes:
loud music and sound
changing lighting levels, glitching and strobe-like effects
haze & smoke
political themes
themes related to colonisation and its ongoing impacts.
ACCESSIBILITY
You can access a visual story for the event by clicking the link below. It explains what to expect before you arrive, when you arrive and during the performances.
CREDITS
CONCEPT, & CHOREOGRAPHY
Katina Olsen
COLLABORATING PERFORMERS
Frankie Snowdon (Dutch, Celtic, English), Bella Waru (Ngāti Tukorehe, Taranaki Tūturu, Celtic), Karlia Cook (Mā’ohi - Norf’k, Ngāpuhi), Ash Musk (Italian, German, English) and Tara Robertson (Migunberri, Celtic).
VIDEO ARTIST
Samuel James
PREVIOUS CONTRIBUTORS
Samakshi Sidhu (Choreography)
SOUND DESIGN
Serina Pech
LIGHTING & SPATIAL DESIGN
Jen Hector
PHOTOGRAPHY / VIDEOGRAPHY
Ivan Trigo Miras and Gabriel Comerford
COSTUME DESIGN & MANUFACTURING
Geoffrey Watson
CREATIVE PRODUCER
Frances Robinson
CREATIVE CONSULTANT
Ping Flynn
THOUGHT LEADER
Erica McCalman
PRODUCED BY
GUTS Dance // Central Australia
THANK YOU
GUTS and the team would like to thank our families, who have supported, endured and cared for us and our work throughout the days, weeks, months and years it has taken to get this show to this point. We are very lucky to be supported to do what we love. To the funding bodies, peers, partnering organisations, festivals and private sponsors whose support has made this work and season possible and our collaborators past and present for their generosity and prolific talent. Finally, to all the brave dance makers who continue to defy convention and unsettle the status quo - we are forever indebted to your contributions to our practices and the world at large - and to you, our audience, for sharing this with us.
Your donations make a huge difference to continuing the development and presentation of dynamic contemporary dance in Central Australia