RISING 2021 Podcast •
The Rivers Sing with Deborah Cheetham AO and Daniel Browning
The voice of the rivers, the Birrarung and Maribyrnong, converge in colonial tragedy
featuring Prof. Deborah Cheetham AO and Daniel Browning
Acclaimed opera singer Deborah Cheetham imagines the bodies of water, the Birrarung and Maribyrnong, as she channels their significance in her song, remembrance and calling for The Rivers Sing. In a conversation with journalist Daniel Browning, we hear how the lapping water evokes the tides of a tragic history for First Nations people and asks who is really listening?
Extended Description
Episode Credits:
Created by Litmus Media
Producer: Mahmood Fazal
Assistant Producer: Daniel Stewart
Editor: Eugene Yang Mastering
Engineer: Geoffrey O’Connor
Engineer: Craig Bryant
Music: Dan Luscombe
Additional Music: Deborah Cheetham AO, Byron J Scullin and Thomas Supple (The Rivers Sing)
The Rivers Sing at RISING 2021
Deborah Cheetham AO, Byron J Scullin and Thomas Supple
RISING’s call in the heart of the city. A large-scale sonic artwork uniting the suburbs, the city and Country with the people who call them home.
Hear the water swirl and flow. Its currents chanting all around you. The rivers are singing now, in the first and last light of the day.
Over 6 weeks in the lead-up to RISING, The Rivers Sing will wind its way along the Birrarung and Maribyrnong rivers, collecting and layering the voices of singers, in this large-scale sonic artwork composed by acclaimed opera singer Deborah Cheetham AO, with artists Thomas Supple and Byron J. Scullin.
As their journey comes to an end, the voices swell in the heart of Birrarung, uniting an urban environment of concrete and glass and the landscape that lies beneath. Echoing from the water across the streets of our city. This is our call—head to an ancient meeting place on the river’s banks at sunrise and sunset, and hear a song for the stories yet to come.
The Rivers Sing began its journey down the Birrarung and Maribyrnong at the TarraWarra Museum of Art for the 2021 Biennial.
Visit the RISING website for more information on The Rivers Sing.
Gallery
Previous Episode
In a play led by neuro-diverse performers, a Hindu god reclaims the Swastika from the Third Reich. Whose story is it to tell?
featuring Bruce Gladwin, Scott Price, John Safran and Dr. Vikrant Kishore
Comedian John Safran is no stranger to religious controversy, yet, as he steers a conversation about a Hindu god’s attempt to reclaim the Swastika from the Third Reich, the controversial problem of identity politics takes centre stage. For context, Hindu academic Dr. Vikrant Kishore intervenes. Under the spotlight, Back to Back theatre’s director Bruce Gladwin and performer Scott Price are interrogated.
Hosts
Various Hosts
RISING is a major cultural event for the Asia Pacific Region, created by a diverse team of local, national and international artists and curators. RISING will begin on the evening of the total lunar eclipse in May 2021. Interlocking circles of experience and connection will radiate through the night, as the city re-synchronises and is re-energised with public art, performance and music spanning the emerging and iconic, the epic and intimate. The inaugural festival will take place 26 May – 6 June 2021 in the heart of Melbourne. The full program is available at www.rising.melbourne
