Intercultural Exchange
Birula Yuniman & Pulua Moyang: a conversation between two old friends
Image: Photo of SA First Nation weaver and cultural collaborator Sonya Rankine weaving.
Image supplied by Sonya Rankine.
Overview of the Exchange
Birula Yuniman & Pulau Moyang is an intercultural exchange that brings together First Nations artists and communities from the Murray River in South Australia with Temuan Orang Asli artists and community from Pulau Moyang Forest in Malaysia.
At its core, this work is about relationship, between people, place, and story. It is grounded in shared ways of knowing, where river and forest are not just landscapes, but living entities, teachers, and kin. Through this exchange, we come together to listen, to learn from each other, and to co-create stories that honour our connections to Country and to one another.
This is not simply a project, it is an ongoing conversation shaped by trust, reciprocity, and deep cultural exchange.
A Relationship Between Two Places
This exchange is held within the connection between two distinct yet deeply connected landscapes:
The Murray River (Australia)
A life-giving force that carries stories, memory, and ancestral presence. For Riverland communities, the river is central to identity, culture, and care for Country—holding knowledge that continues to guide how people live and relate.
Pulau Moyang Forest (Malaysia)
A place of deep cultural significance for Temuan Orang Asli communities. The forest is a living, breathing entity—home to stories, spirits, and ancestral knowledge, where relationships to land shape everyday life and cultural continuity.
Image: Photo on left of Kat Bell & Shaq Koyok in the Temuan Forest - Pulau Moyang (March 2026). Photo on right of Kat & Shaq with the team from Soka Gakkai Malaysia, and Jason from the Australian High Commission (AHC) in front of a mural by Shaq Koyok and Professor Wayne Quilliam.
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Though these places exist across different geographies, they are connected through shared understandings: of Country as kin, of knowledge as relational, and of responsibility to care for land, water, and future generations. This project brings these places into dialogue, as two old friends sharing stories across time and space.
Themes
Caring for Country
At the heart of this exchange is a shared commitment to caring for land and water. Stories of stewardship, responsibility, and respect guide the work, reflecting ongoing relationships between communities and their environments.
River and Forest as Kin
The river and the forest are not separate from people—they are part of family, part of identity. This perspective shapes how stories are told, how art is made, and how relationships are understood.
Memory, Resilience, Survival
Stories carried by both communities speak of endurance, adaptation, and strength. Through storytelling and creative practice, these experiences are shared across cultures, revealing both difference and connection.
Process
This exchange unfolds slowly and relationally, guided by Indigenous storytelling practices and shared experience.
On-Country Visits
Time spent on Country is essential—walking, listening, observing, and being present within each landscape. These experiences ground the work in place and allow knowledge to emerge through lived connection.
Story Sharing
Through yarning, conversation, and quiet listening, stories are shared between artists and communities. These moments are not rushed—they are guided by trust, respect, and the rhythm of relationship.
Collaborative Creation
Artworks and exhibitions are created together, through processes that bring together traditional practices and contemporary forms. This collaborative making holds the stories within it, carrying both individual and shared experiences.