Nagula Girradiny (Oceans of the Moon)
My practice is an intersection of ancient oral histories, contemporary digital immersive technology, and global astronomical histories.
Nagula Girradiny (Oceans of the Moon) is a virtual reality experience that transports viewers into the sacred, living cosmos of the Djugun people of Rubibi (Broome), mapping the profound connection between the saltwater, the land, and the night sky.
For the Djugun people, the moon and tides are vital instruments of survival and connection, signaling the precise movements of the water’s edge and the optimal times to hunt and fish along the shore and mudflats.
Through this work, I bring these vital observations to life alongside the foundational narratives of my Country, Djugun Buru.
Viewers encounter the Rainbow Serpent (Comet), whose fallen eggs created our reefs and inland lakes; the Seven Sisters, celestial beings too hot to touch; and the tragic figure of the Bower Bird Man, punished by the Black Cockatoo brothers to hop eternally along the dunes and hunt only from the fish traps he created.
We hear the echoes of Saltwater Country (Nagula Buru) through the sacred vessel of the Baler shell, and trace the steps of Bin-gaa, the giant woman who spilled the fresh water that created our jilas (freshwater wells).
Central to the visual narrative is the story of the Moon Boy, banished to the night sky for fighting with his brother, the Blue Bone Boy.
He travels between worlds exclusively via the "staircase to the moon," while his brother remains hidden within the reef during the full moon.
[ Ancient Djugun Cosmology ] [ 17th-Century Selenography ]
(Oral histories, Tides, Nagula Buru) (Latin Lunar Maps, "Mare" / Seas)
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- Abstract Photography
- Soundscapes & Latin Poetry
- Immersive 3D Landscape
To bridge these Indigenous perspectives with Western scientific history, the work incorporates the concept of Mare-Latin for ‘sea’ originating from 17th-century European observers who mapped the moon's dark regions.
By layering the historical lunar naming traditions of Michael van Langren, Johannes Hevelius, Giovanni Riccioli, and Francesco Grimaldi, I draw a parallel between how different cultures interpret the "seas" of the cosmos.
The poetic weight of names like Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity) and Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms) is juxtaposed against our own ancient saltwater understandings.
By utilizing VR headsets, I populate a real physical space with a virtual landscape. Viewers stand beneath a stationary moon floating above the Nagula, surrounded by interactive marine life and illuminated by the abstract textures of my landscape photography.
By blending Latin poetry, soundscapes, and vivid color, Nagula Girradiny invites the audience to tap into a childlike imagination.
It is an invitation to close your eyes to the modern world and allow sound, texture, and light to transport you to another time, where the tides of earth and space are inextricably linked.