This UTS Library exhibition, curated by UTS and Western Sydney University, celebrated 2019: The International Year of Indigenous Languages, raising awareness of and promoting the preservation and complexity of the hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The exhibition spotlighted language projects by members of First Peoples communities in Australia, as well as other researchers from universities around Australia. It introduced visitors to traditional spoken, sign and song languages through objects, documents and interactive multimedia as well as presenting ongoing efforts to reawaken ‘sleeping’ languages of our region.
The exhibition inaugurated the immersive virtual reality experience, Barrawao, created in a creative co-design partnership between academics, artists and designers, including both settler-Australians and members of First Peoples communities. In this experience, the viewer directs a self-guided virtual tour across nura (country) to hear traditional languages spoken, whilst simultaneously gaining insight into the connection between language and nura.
