Immersive multimedia installation Walking through a Songline continues its success in Hanoi

After being well received in Ho Chi Minh City, Walking Through a Songline – an immersive light projecting installation hosted by the Australian Embassy in Vietnam – will be open to the public in Hanoi at the Vietnamese Women’s Museum from 28 April to 21 May. This is the latest exhibition hosted by the Australia Embassy to introduce Australia’s unique and vibrant First Nations’ cultures to a Vietnamese audience. The exhibition is part of the program to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Australia-Vietnam diplomatic relations in 2023.

The Australian Government is committed to advancing First Nations’ peoples and cultures, both in Australia and overseas. Walking Through a Songline is a touring version of the National Museum of Australia’s (NMA) internationally acclaimed exhibition Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters, bringing the culture and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to a global audience.

This exhibition follows the track of the Seven Sisters Dreaming across the Western and Central deserts of Australia, as they chased by a male pursuer. This Ancestral journey create songlines, which can be understood as pathways of knowledge about the Indigenous cultural values and the way to survive sustainably on this continent, as Australia’s First Nations’ peoples have for millennia. The stories that these songlines hold form the foundational history of Australia, as told by artists, custodians and traditional owners.

Speaking at the event, Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr Andrew Goledzinowski, said: “One of the Australian Government’s missions is telling the story of Australia to the world. This includes the knowledge and stories of Australia’s First Peoples. By bringing Walking Through a Songline here, we are sharing these stories with our friends in Vietnam. I’m particularly pleased the exhibition is here as part of the celebration for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam.”

Ms Nguyen Thi Tuyet, Director of the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, who are co-hosting the exhibition in Hanoi, added: “The exhibition offers a deep exploration into the cultural and historical stories of Australia through a unique digital display. This will be a great gift for the capital's public.”

An explanatory video featuring Margo Neale, Senior Indigenous Curator and Head of Indigenous Knowledges at the National Museum, can be viewed on the Australian Embassy Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/251839956988317/posts/596050202567289

The exhibition is free to enter and will be open to the public from 8:00 to 17:00 every day from 28 April to 21 May, at the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.

For more information, please contact Trang Le Nguyen on [email protected] or 024 3774 0216.