Illume is the latest work by Wirangu and Mirning choreographer and Bangarra’s Artistic Director Frances Rings, created in collaboration with Darrell Sibosado, a Goolarrgon Bard artist from Lombadina on the Dampier Peninsula. Sibosado’s work is inspired by the light of the pearl shell and the cultural practice of rigi (pearl shell carving). Illume examines the role light pollution is playing in the climate emergency and asks if the wisdom passed down from Elders can lead to a brighter future.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Step out of the shadows and into the phenomena of light – the central life force of our planet. From the extraordinary Bangarra Dance Theatre comes an iridescent new theatrical experience, drawing together music, visual arts and dance to explore the ways light has captivated and sustained Indigenous cultural existence for millennia. 

Today, artificial light pollution disrupts ecosystems and obscures the dark night sky, devastating First Nations people’s connections to sky country and limiting their ability to share celestial knowledge and skylore. First Nations people stand on the precipice of the world under threat.  

Mirning Choreographer Frances Rings and Goolarrgon Bard Visual Artist Darrell Sibosado’s collaboration explores the awe of light, a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds. It charts the impacts of light pollution in a climate emergency. Illume asks the urgent question: is the deep wisdom passed down from elders enough to illuminate a path forward from the shadows of a dark future?