Archipelago of Earthen Bones — To Bunya

Shot on 16mm, this film transforms Australia’s eastern ranges into a breathing geological dreamscape. Through superimpositions and in-camera edits, stone, flora and sky pulse across mythic time, glowing in gold, orange, black and green, with Lawrence English’s field recordings and sonified atmospheres deepening the terrain’s ancient resonance.

Malena Szlam: ‘Archipelago of Earthen Bones — To Bunya traces alternative cartographies of time, rooted in the very geologic formations of our planet. Examining volcanic time as a means to comprehend and express Earth’s geological history, the film seeks a sensing and knowing that recognises the divergent nature of the time scales that surround us. From almost instantaneous catastrophic ruptures to the formation of mountains over millions of years, the film invites us to become immersed in time.

Filmed across the lands of the Turrbal, Yuggera, Jinibara, Gubbi Gubbi, Wakka Wakka, Jarowair, Barrumgum, Quandamooka and Butchulla Peoples in Australia. We acknowledge them as the Traditional Custodians and Knowledge Keepers of these lands.’