PLAN YOUR VISIT - Discover mythological narratives and stories of migration with 'Tales of Land & Sea' (2 March - 16 June 2024)

Bundanon

Book in for a session, stay for the day or stay overnight. Become fully immersed in a program of talks and workshops with inspiring writers and storytellers.

Bundanon’s 2022 Writers Festival, Dreaming with Eyes Open, offers visitors of all ages opportunities to engage with award-winning authors and illustrators. Participate in a range of activities, from fun skill-sharing to intensive workshops exploring the literary arts in all forms.

Curated in partnership with South Coast Writers Centre, this mini festival responds to the ideas of inner and outer landscapes that run throughout Bundanon’s current exhibition season Parallel Landscapes.

SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER

BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

CONVERSATION

YOU CAN’T OWN A LANDSCAPE
Delia Falconer and Jonica Newby discuss writing on climate and concepts of landscape.

10 – 11am

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

TOUR

LANDSCAPE OF THE SOUL
Tour this current exhibition of Arthur Boyd works with one of Bundanon’s Art Museum guides.

11am – 12pm

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

WORKSHOP

TURNING STORIES INTO DREAMS
Join KhroniK in a workshop that will focus on storytelling through written and spoken art.

11am – 12pm

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

WORKSHOP

DREAM WITH EYES OPEN
Creative writing and illustration workshop with A.L. Tait and Dale Newman for children aged 9-14.

11am – 1pm

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

EXHIBITION TALK

THE RIVER AND THE SEA
The family of Reuben Ernest Brown share the stories behind key works from the current exhibition.

12pm – 1pm

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

CONVERSATION

HOW FICTION ENCOURAGES US TO DREAM
Kate Forsyth and A.L. Tait discuss environments and the power of enchantment in our daily lives.

1 – 2pm

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

CONVERSATION

SUSTAINABILITY
Diego Bonetto and Zanny Begg discuss Bonetto’s new book Eat Weeds: A Field Guide to Foraging.

2 – 3pm

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

WALK

FORAGING EDIBLE PLANTS
Explore the Bundanon landscape with Diego Bonetto and Michael Andrews as they open our ‘plant eyes’.

3 – 4pm

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

WORKSHOP

TEXT COMES ALIVE
Performative reading activities and making texts come alive for participants of children aged 9-14.

2 – 5pm

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Purchase Author Titles

Connect with authors and illustrators ahead of the event. Local bookstore Wax Lyrical in Berry, NSW, is currently stocking their titles.

Wax Lyrical

SUNDAY 4 SEPTEMBER

Poetry Picnic | Onsite and Online

Picnic in the landscape and respond to the paintings of artist Uncle Ben Brown. 

Ekphrastic poetry: a visual description of a scene or work of art

Inspired by the art of ekphrastic poetry and collaborative community arts practices, the Poetry Picnic encourages visitors to host a picnic in the landscape and respond to the paintings of artist Uncle Ben Brown.

The picnic could be on the grounds at Bundanon, or even be your own backyard.

Reuben Ernest Brown (Uncle Ben Brown)

Reuben Ernest Brown (Uncle Ben Brown) was a Yuin Elder who painted the Shoalhaven from the late 1980s to 2000s. Uncle Ben’s bright paintings show a love of the local landscape. His works highlight connections between family, community and Country.

Poetry Prompts

1. ‘In this place’

Write a poem that closely considers where you are at the time of writing, using the starting line: In this place

Consider whose Country are you on and what you can sense, hear, and see around you.

For a more structured approach, try this Seven Lines in Seven Minutes prompt from the Bundanon Learning Team:

  • Line 1 Listening – write a line about a sound you can hear
  • Line 2 Sensory – write a line about what you can smell where you are?
  • Line 3 Caring – write a line about something you care about in this environment
  • Line 4 Distance- write a line about something in the distance, far from you
  • Line 5 Closeness- write a line about something close to you, nearby.
  • Line 6 Impression – write a line about a colour or a texture you can see (if you are outside pick a colour other than green)
  • Line 7 Feeling – write a line about how you feel in this place.

Artwork: Reuben Ernest Brown, once upon a time, c2001

2. Disco Dancing

If you are gathered with others, why not write a group poem. Each person writes one or two lines to contribute to the poem. The fun is working out together which line comes where!

Artwork: Reuben Ernest Brown, Disco Dancing, 2005

3. The River and the Sea

Construct a poem in the style of Rueben Ernest Brown’s painting composition.

Consider how his work reflects the landscape in three distinct blocks:

  1. Sky
  2. Horizon
  3. Land

Write a poem of three lines or three stanzas that consider a subject in this way.

Artwork: Reuben Ernest Brown, untitled, 2005

4. Sea Platter

Write a poem from the perspective of the bottom of the ocean.

Are you human?

What is the light like?

The temperature?

What can you see?

What creatures are there with you?

How do you feel?

What does it taste like?

Artwork: Reuben Ernest Brown, Sea Platter, 1998

Poetry Submission

Poetry submissions are due by 5pm Sunday 11 September for inclusion on the Bundanon website.

Poems should be no longer than 30 lines  (1 page) and submitted as a word document.

Please submit in a standard, readable font and size. Avoid colorful stationery, visual embellishments, or cursive fonts.

Poems are to be emailed to programs@bundanon.com.au 

Note: We will not knowingly publish work that is slanderous, racist, sexist, ageist, or otherwise intentionally discriminatory or offensive. 

Poetry Prompts – Bundanon Poetry Picnic 4 September 2022 (2)

Poetry Commissions

Bundanon and the South Coast Writers Centre invited 4 poets to respond to Uncle Ben Brown’s works. Read below.

BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

KURRAARR FAR COUNTRY 1972 | JULIE JANSON

In response to ‘The Humpy’ by Reuben Ernest Brown.

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

THE RIVER AND THE SEA REFLECTIONS BY GABRIELLE JOURNEY JONES

In response to the exhibition ‘The River and the Sea’.

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BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

E A T | ISABELLA LUNA

Inspired by ‘The Sharks’ c.2001 and ‘Shark Bay’ 2002 by Reuben Ernest Brown

Read
BUNDANON WRITERS WEEK: Dreaming with eyes open

LATE AUGUST TERCETS | PETER RAMM

In response to the exhibition ‘The River and the Sea’.

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Bundanon acknowledges the people of the Dharawal and Dhurga language groups as the traditional owners of the land within our boundaries, and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country.

In Dharawal the word Bundanon means deep valley.

This website contains names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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