As part of a three-week residency at PICA, Joshua Pether, Janine Oxenham and Helah Milroy revisit their durational performance ritual The Reckoning, created in 2021 through a creative development at PICA.
The first performance outcome was a seven-hour performance ritual that utilised First Nations wisdom and knowledge whilst also taking inspiration from Butoh, a form of Japanese dance theatre developed in response to the trauma of the bombing of Hiroshima. The development involved the performers ‘reckoning’ with themselves and geographical sites of significance to First Nations people. Pether, Oxenham and Milroy revisit their performance methodology, extending the work to a 16-hour durational performance.
Meet the artists: The Reckoning Lunchtime Q&A
You’re invited to yarn with the creative team of The Reckoning. Bring your lunch and your questions, and join Joshua Pether, Janine Oxenham and Helah Milroy for a Q&A conversation about making The Reckoning.
Date & Time: Wednesday 12 July, 12-1pm
Location: PICA Performance Space
Performance & Feast Information
This session has ended.
Derived from First Nations understanding, the performance is a progressive and meditative ritual that evolves over five hours, expressed through listening and contemplating the surrounding environment, connecting to Country and engaging with cultural knowledge.
Open to the public, the artists encourage you to experience the performance ritual as a witness, staying as long or as little as you like. Performed by Pether, Milroy and Oxenham, the artists will address intergenerational trauma in self and Country based on Australia’s colonial past. The performance also includes live improvisation on saxophone by Josten Myburgh.
Before the performance commences, come together with the artists for the Feast, a complimentary light supper.
Event Notes & Content Warnings
- As The Reckoning involves an exploration of intergenerational trauma, themes and content may be distressing and sensitive to some.
- Some loud sounds from live saxophone
- Soft lighting with no strobe or haze
Workshop Information
This session has ended.
As part of the durational performance ritual, there are three practice-sharing workshops led by Pether, Oxenham and Milroy. The workshops form part of the 16-hour performance ritual but explore different methodologies to develop The Reckoning. They are designed to be fluid and responsive to the participants, their experiences and their Country.
Workshops are designed for First Nations people but are open to anyone wanting to start the process of decolonisation. Participants are welcome to attend one or all of the workshops. Registration is essential.
Workshop Prices
$5 for First Nations people
$10 general admission
PICA’s Performance Space is wheelchair accessible. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss specific access needs: info@pica.org.au
Timeline of Activities
Workshop 1: What is trauma? | 10am–12pm
At the height of Makuru, we arrive to start the day and ritual with a silent walk.
The silent walk acts as a portal to understanding trauma and ways to access the story of place, history and time. This workshop will be led by Joshua Pether, a ritual practitioner and performance artist.
What to Expect
Participants will meet in the PICA Performance Space and begin a walk through the James Street Mall (Northbridge) and surrounding areas before returning to PICA to finish the session. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and expect to travel along paved streets. Carry water, snacks and an umbrella or raincoat, if needed.
Workshop 2: How do we access trauma? | 12:30–2:30pm
As Sentinels, we will stand and observe our internal self and places within our physical body where we hold emotion.
This durational stillness, led by dance artist and choreographer Janine Oxenham, deeply connects us to our now, our past, our ancestral blood memory connection and our relationship to Country and each other.
What to Expect
A movement exploration practice in the PICA Performance Space. Participants may sit and observe or take part however much they feel comfortable. Please wear comfortable clothes appropriate for moving in. Bring a water bottle, notebook and pen.
Workshop 3: How do we move through and past trauma? | 3–6pm
Past and futures collide as the voice/song of Country becomes clearer – knowledge of place and time will be revealed.
Led by Helah Milroy, this session will guide participants through an improvisational movement process of self-reflection and ‘reckoning’ with themselves and the history of the land on which they stand. Participants are given a first-hand experience of how ‘reckoning’ with the truth can help access the spontaneous creativity necessary to bring healing and connection to oneself, community and Country.
What to Expect
A movement exploration practice in the PICA Performance Space. Participants may sit and observe or take part however much they feel comfortable. Please wear comfortable clothes appropriate for moving in. Bring a water bottle, notebook and pen.
Feast | 7–8pm
Feast upon the abundance of knowledge you have consumed – allow this to prepare you for the next stage.
The artists humbly welcome you to join them for light supper.
What to Expect
Complimentary light supper in the PICA Performance Space. Please let the artists know if you have any dietary requirements by registering.
Performance: The Reckoning | 9pm–2am
Witness the moment of reckoning.
Responsive to history, place and time, the knowledge of bodies access stored and hidden information. Midnight has come and so too has an understanding – we must build the monument
Witnesses are invited to experience a contemporary dance/theatre performance across five hours in the PICA Performance Space. Visitors are welcome to come and go for this part of the ritual, featuring music and sound created by improvisational musician Josten Myburgh.
