2023

Look back at Parrtjima 2023, inspired by Listening with Heart, with an immersive artwork guided by Rene Kulitja and music across ten nights.

Listening with Heart shaped Parrtjima 2023, held from 7 to 16 April at Alice Springs Desert Park. Inspired by the artwork surrounding the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the festival created space for people to gather and listen, with large-scale light works and music across the Easter holiday period.

Artist Rene Kulitja, who led the group that created the original artwork, guided its transformation into an immersive light installation. The work was central to a theme that encouraged audiences to take time together and consider the stories being shared. Grounded again animated Aboriginal artworks across the red earth, while the MacDonnell Ranges light show formed the festival's vast backdrop.

The music programme travelled across styles and languages, with performers including Emily Wurramara, JK-47, KAIIT and The Merindas. The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band featured on opening night, and talks, workshops and film screenings gave visitors further opportunities to connect with Indigenous artists and ideas.

Before the Alice Springs festival, Grounded travelled to Melbourne's Federation Square on 10 and 11 March. This was Parrtjima's first presentation of its interactive installations outside the Northern Territory, sharing a preview of the Red Centre experience with a new audience.