Jirrin Journey
Jirrin Journey was a project of Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) and the Powerhouse Museum, in partnership with Parramatta Heritage Centre in 2001. This was assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
“…One of my earliest memories of Redfern is walking down Elizabeth Street on a Sunday morning, and hearing the sound of the jirrin”
— Sadie Abood (nee Betros) (1926-2001)
How can we tell our personal and collective histories if we did not write them in the first place, or if those histories were written as part of the ‘official grand narrative’, which has at times ignored us and often misrepresented us?
‘Grand narratives’ have always been an inadequate way of telling the histories of migrants, refugees and Indigenous communities, and in particular women. In such circumstances, we put forward memory and oral history to replace the inadequacy of accepted mainstream stories and ‘official migrant discourses’.
Sounds, rhythms, place and time all trigger the memory of fleeting moments that would not be otherwise remembered or considered as valid histories. These elements release the silenced narrator within ourselves, free us from the heavy weight of untold stories and acknowledge the importance of the past in our lives.
The sounds and images of Jirrin Journey trigger the memories of many worlds. These sounds and images may be a reminder of a small, remote village in Lebanon, and at the same time, a reminder of a street in Redfern.
The sound of a jirrin contracts the geographical distance between the two places, and transforms this space into a nomadic category, moving with and belonging to the people.
Memory in this case becomes an active agent in the process of re-imagining the self, the space and others.
Memories of the sounds and rhythms of domestic implements used in the production of food have inspired a point of entry into local Arabic people’s stories.
The jirrin (large stone mortar) and the balata (large stone block with smooth upper surface) trigger specific memories for some Lebanese people. The m’h‘baaj (large wooden mortar with a long wooden pestle) has intense rhythms for many Arabs. While the rahaya (stone block) and moohraka, tahoona and mehras are specific domestic objects that resonate for the Sudanese, Iraqi and Algerian people who participated in our project.
In its investigation of the rhythms of domestic utensils, Jirrin Journey aims to transcend traditional multiculturalist obsessions with food, music and journeys of migration. The jirrin and balata, the m’h‘baaj, the rahaya and moohraka, the tahoona and the mehras can all be seen as meaningful and iconic objects -= keys to powerful aural and visual spaces.
Jirrin Journey is subverting as well as adding to the body of Australian history. It enters the current Australian context of migration heritage work, asserting that the histories of migrant communities are Australian history, which has its overall context within the histories of the Indigenous peoples of this land
Jirrin Journey is part of a growing body of national and international work that seeks to document and represent the heritage of Arabic speaking peoples. The exhibition’s audio-visual installations add to the growing oral history documentation of Arabic speaking Australian communities.
Jirrin Journey does not claim to represent all the diverse generations of Arabic speaking people in Australia, however a journey through the sounds and images of the installations will open up significant and specific stories.
The project artists — Fadia Abboud (video), Nadya Stani (sound) and Marian Abboud (photography) — spent several months documenting discussions with Arabic speaking elders and families. The artists worked to create various audio and visual forms for the exhibition — both conceptual and documentary.
Jirrin Journey has been created in a climate where Arabic and Muslim communities have been under siege, both locally and globally. Jirrin Journey aims to take the space to speak back, at the same time resisting mainstream local and global agendas.
Jirrin Journey explores material and living histories, especially women’s histories. It is a significant act in the current social and political climate for Arabic women to speak out in their own terms, to become their own subject. The practice and production of the project places significant value on the oral traditions of our elders.
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