Edwina Nelson IE Application 2014

Question K. If all of the world´s cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was

contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country?

Australia boasts a rich cultural history that today underpins a diverse and unique

identity.

To demonstrate the legacy and rich heritage of Australia, I would include 5 key items of

cultural significance in the time capsule:

Australian Visual ArtsAustralian Architectural Icons

Australian Sports

Australian Performing Arts

Australian Fashion

Aboriginal Performing Arts: Music & Dance

Indigenous Aboriginal People

Australia’s oldest inhabitants, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people have been custodians of our land for at least 40,000 years, and still observe the worlds oldest continuing cultural traditions.

Much of Aboriginal culture is about storytelling, and teaching the next generation about these ancient traditions.As a result, the vital elements of Aboriginal culture are expressed through the arts – music, dance and painting.

For centuries Australian Indigenous Aboriginals had no written language, relying instead on oral history and music to inform future generations about culture, life and the world we live in. Music thus plays an integral part of social, cultural & ceremonial activities.

Music

The sounds of Australian indigenous music incorporate a variety of distinctive acoustics, noises, rhythms and beats.

Songs are mostly chanted and accompanied by combinations of didgeridoos, clapping sticks, gum leaves, body percussion, drums, and seed rattles.

The aboriginal people created songs and sounds with instruments that mimicked the essence of noises made in nature - be it the flapping of wings, water running, trees creaking, or pattering feet.

Considered the worlds oldest instrument, the didgeridoo has become the major symbol of native Aboriginal music. Customarily made out of a hollowed eucalypt tree trunk, its resonance is distinct and sounds like a low humming growl.

Mastering the didgeridoo is not as easy as it looks, as it requires a unique technique called ‘circular breathing’ to produce the hypnotic sounds.

DanceThe ceremonial dancing of Indigenous Australians is another cultural custom that is learnt and passed down from one generation to another. For them, to dance is to be knowledgeable about the stories of ancestral heroes, as well as an opportunity to entertain.

Aboriginal traditional dance is closely associated with storytelling and is often used to bring to the present the reality of the Dreamtime.

A recognizable aspect of dance is the body decoration or body painting of each dancer. Designs are used to change the surface of the body to help with illustrating the story, and will often reflect the dancers community standing, totem animals, and ancestors.

Indigenous Visual Arts

The artistic styles of Indigenous Australians differ between regions and groups, although the most common forms are bark paintings, body art, rock painting and engraving, ground designs, and dot paintings.

Much like other forms of expression traditionally created by the Indigenous people, paintings almost always represent a story, connecting the past and present, and using symbols and designs to depict images of the Dreamtime.

Indigenous Painting

Most commonly associated with Australian indigenous art are the vibrant ‘dot’ paintings.

Many paintings, particularly those representing ‘dreamtime stories', are shown from an aerial perspective depicting the contours of the land with stones, plants, flowers and distant trees that ‘dot’ the rugged landscape.

Artists use symbols and motifs to depict other aspects of nature such as animals or rivers.

The paintings completed with the dot technique, are visually exciting and offer a sense of movement and rhythm that bring the flat canvas to life. Colours and patterns jump and dance with energy, as patterns flow across the canvas to unfold a story.

Dot Paintings

Australian Sport

Sport in Australia has long played an important social and cultural role, providing a form of social cement that binds communities and

individuals together.

Australia’s sporting prowess has remained a distinctive feature of the nation’s identity, with ‘Sports’ forming something of a national obsession.

Due to the climate and outdoor lifestyle, being active is part of the Australian way of life. We love to watch sport, play sport and brag about

the impressive results Australians have achieved at the elite level.

Australian Football League (AFL)

AFL or ‘Aussie Rules’, is an uniquely Australian game with roots traceable to early forms of rugby and Gaelic football.

The rules for AFL were devised in 1858 as an activity to keep cricketers fit during the off-season.

Played on an oval field with a spherical ball, it involves 2 teams of 18 players each, trying to score the most points for their team by kicking the ball through goal posts at either end of the field.

Today the league consists of 18 teams spread over 5 states, and is the most highly attended spectator sport in the country.

AFL has some of the most loyal and devoted fans, which has lead to many ongoing team rivalries.

Cricket is among the most popular sports in Australia, and indeed the world, mainly due to the historical reach of the British Empire.

The Australian cricketer Don Bradman (later Sir Donald Bradman!), is universally considered to be the greatest player of all time.

Bradman captained the Australian Test Team from 1936 until 1948, where of the 24 Test matches played, Australia lost only 3, including beating England to win the Ashes.

Bradman was a sporting hero who in the 1930s broke many long-standing cricket records, and today still holds the world’s highest Test batting average, of 99.94 runs per innings.

His exploits on the cricket field defined a national spirit and pride, and did much for the international profile of Australia, amongst other cricket playing nations.

Cricket & Sir Donald Bradman

Competitive Surf Life SavingOriginating in Australia in 1906 - when the worlds first official Surf Lifesaving Club was founded at Bondi Beach, Surf lifesaving combines aspects of voluntary beach lifeguard services and competitive surf sport.

Australian Surf Life Saving clubs regularly hold surf carnivals, with clubs competing against each other in a range of beach and rescue oriented events including swimming, paddle boarding, sand running and mock rescues. While some events are for individuals, many are team events with the purpose of improving life saving skills and promoting beach safety.

Today there are 305 Surf Life Saving Clubs in Australia that collectively patrol over 400 beaches, and coach children (Nippers) as young as 7 years old, through to the professional ranks, or ‘Ironmen’.

Australian Fashion

Uniquely Australian styles that have developed over many years include:

• Bushwear• Swimwear & Beachwear

While no single Australian national costume exists, something of a ‘local dress style’ has emerged in response to the unique Australian climate, lifestyle & identity.

BushwearA practical, casual, protective style of clothing, the distinct look of Australian Bushwear is the result of an active outdoor lifestyle and the harsh reality of the Australian climate and landscape.

Akubra HatsTraditionally worn by men and women working the land in the outback to protect themselves from the harsh sun, it is now also often presented as a national gifts to visiting dignitaries wanting to take a piece of Australia home.

Drizabone CoatOriginating as waterproof workwear for Australian stockman to protect from wind & rain, the distinctive style of the Drizabone has essentially remained the same since the early 1900s. Its durability and recognizable urban Australian charm has made it legendary.

RM Williams BootsTough and durable work boots ideal for working in the outback, on cattle farms and riding horses. RM Williams are now exported to 15 countries, with 900 stockists around the world.

BeachwearThe Australian relaxed attitude and outdoor culture is similarly recognizable through beachwear and surf wear.

With much of the population living by the sea, bikinis, board shorts and loud-print shirts have become both a distinct statement of national identity and a source of pride for many Aussies.

Several Australian beachwear brands such as Mambo, Billabong, Speedo, Rip Curl & Seafolly have gained international success, and are now distributed around the world.

These brands often include indigenous prints and other Australian motifs of native flora and fauna to embellish garments.

Australian Architectural

Icons

The Sydney Opera HouseDesigned by a Danish Architect Joern Utzon, The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, receiving international acclaim for its design and construction and labeled an ‘architectural icon’ of the 20th century.

Today the Sydney Opera House is a national cultural centre that has gained widespread recognition and respect as a performing arts venue.

The Opera House is often considered as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders’ of the World, and in 2007, was World Heritage Listed by UNESCO.

“Sydney Opera House is a great architectural work of the 20th century. It represents multiple strands of creativity, both in architectural form and structural design, a great urban sculpture carefully set in a remarkable waterscape and a world

famous iconic building.” – UNESCO 2007

The Sydney Harbour BridgeThe world's largest (but not longest) steel arch bridge, has become a renowned international symbol of Australia and very popular with tourists.

Under the instruction of Australian J.J.C. Bradfield, the bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long & Co Ltd and opened in 1932.

Nicknamed ‘The Coat hanger’ because of its arch like design, the bridge contains a total of 52,800 tonnes of steel, as well as approximately 6 million steel rivets.

The bridge links Sydney City with North Sydney, and carries 8 lanes of road traffic & 2 railway tracks.

Thank you for including Australia!The World Cultural Heritage Time Capsule would not be complete without the unique elements of

Australian history and life.

Hopefully, the previous slides have illustrated the significance of

Australia’s contribution, and justify their inclusion in the

Time Capsule.

Thank you