Indigenous art exhibition Cosmic Echoes opens in Carnarvon
Cosmic Echoes: a Shared Sky Indigenous Art Exhibition is a celebration of humanity’s ancient cultural wisdom and how it relates to modern science. It stems from a vision by the SKAO and its partners, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) and CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, to bring together Indigenous artists living and working close to the SKA telescope sites.
The collaborative exhibition features visual art, poetry and soundscapes from established artists alongside works from young aspiring artists.
In Western Australia, the SKAO and CSIRO commissioned a group of Aboriginal visual artists from the Wajarri Yamaji, Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders of the land where the SKA-Low telescope is located.
“The exhibition connects the two SKA telescope sites in a special way. These communities have been observing the skies for thousands of years, and it’s important that we celebrate that connection to the sky, which they now share with us as we build the SKA telescopes,” said SKA-Mid Telescope Director Dr Lindsay Magnus.
The Carnarvon youth artists with Elders from the local community.
The exhibition will be on display at Carnarvon High School until the end of April.
Dr Adrian Tiplady, Deputy Managing Director of SARAO said: “Indigenous communities in this region have looked to the stars for navigation, storytelling, and spiritual guidance, forming an ancient tradition of sky-watching that predates contemporary astronomy.
“Projects like Cosmic Echoes remind us that we are not only pushing scientific frontiers but also working in a landscape rich with cultural and artistic heritage. As part of our social responsibility, we are committed to listening, understanding, and amplifying the stories of the communities surrounding the SKA-Mid and MeerKAT telescopes. These narratives – woven through art, oral traditions, and local knowledge – are essential in bridging the past with the future, ensuring that science and heritage evolve hand in hand.”
Youth workshops
Cosmic Echoes was launched at the IAU General Assembly in Cape Town in August 2024. Ahead of the launch, artists and local youths attended a special workshop supported by SARAO and the SKAO in Carnarvon in June 2024.
The week-long Carnarvon workshop involved a group of artists working with local Indigenous youth and Elders in South Africa to prepare artwork for Cosmic Echoes. One group focused on performance art and another on visual art.
“There is not a lot of opportunities for kids in a place like Carnarvon to explore things like art and theatre, and they took this opportunity with open arms and just amazed all of us,” said Terence Visagie, a young Northern Cape artist who helped run the workshops.
“It is fantastic to see the artwork made by the youth artists from Carnarvon return home, so they can show off their work to their community before it travels the globe and is seen internationally,” said Dr Magnus.
The exhibition will be on display in Carnarvon until 27 April, before travelling across South Africa. From there it will set out on an international tour to Australia later this year and then on to other SKAO partner countries, introducing a worldwide audience to Indigenous knowledge and the deep connection to the sky and stars that has existed at the SKA telescope sites for millennia.
Under one sky
Many of the artworks feature similar themes and constellations, despite the artists being on different continents.
“The Indigenous People of Australia and the Indigenous People of South Africa are really so close in spirit. Spiritually what the artworks were saying, and creatively what the works were saying, it is almost one kind of artistic ethos,” said Curator Sylvia Vollenhoven.
“I was astounded by the similarities of the imagery that’s being used in the art,” Visagie said.
“It was just the question of us finding each other, looking at each other’s art and kind of seeing ‘we’re the same’. We value the same things, we are looking for the same answers, and looking for a brighter future.”
Cosmic Echoes builds on a long-standing science and art collaboration between the SKAO and local communities, and develops the themes explored in the original Shared Sky exhibition which was launched in 2014 and has since toured the world.
The Cosmic Echoes: Shared Sky Indigenous Art Exhibition is an SKAO initiative, in collaboration with SARAO, CSIRO and the Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation.
The SKAO recognises and acknowledges the Indigenous peoples and cultures that have traditionally lived on the lands on which their facilities are located. In Australia, the SKAO and CSIRO acknowledge the Wajarri Yamaji as Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders of Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, the site where the SKA-Low telescope is being built.
Cosmic Echoes was launched at the IAU General Assembly in Cape Town in August 2024. Hear from some of the artists who contributed to the collaborative exhibition including young people from Carnarvon.
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