Sky

Tarnanthi Twitcher

Become a Twitcher as you explore Tarnanthi. Draw all the birds you notice on your journey downstairs. How many different birds do you recognise? Can you identify any of the birds by name? Which of these birds are in your school or home environment?

Making Murmurations

Have you ever seen hundreds of birds fly in a synchronised or coordinated pattern? This is called murmuration. Look at the murmuration of birds carved from boab nuts made by 9 artists living across the Kimberley . Draw the outline of your favourite bird. Repeat this outline to cover your page with a murmuration pattern.

Female Icons

Watch the animation Party Time! by Kaylene Whiskey in Gallery 9. Make a list of any things or people you recognise. Share your list with others, what else did your friends and family notice? Can your findings be grouped in some way?

The title of Whiskey’s latest painting, Seven Sistas Sign (2021), is a play on words. It refers to the story of the Seven Sisters, Kungkarangalpa, a significant Tjukurpa (ancestral story) for the Aṉangu people, as well as for many other language groups and communities across Australia. Whiskey’s seven female icons stand in for the strength and resilience of Whiskey’s own community of sistas. Draw a female role model in your life. It might be someone you know personally in your family or community or it could be someone who influences you from sport or popular culture. Capture their strength, resilience and character. You may even like to transform this person into a superhero.

Look and compare

Look at Kungkarangkalpa- Seven Sisters by Nyunmiti Burton in Gallery 7 (you can’t miss it!). Like Kaylene Whiskey, Burton has painted the ancestral story of the Seven Sisters. What similarities or differences do you notice about these two works?