Waakya

5 June 2024

Arising from a desire to bring new life to manikay, the ancestral songs of Arnhem Land, Waakya is a bold cross-cultural collaboration between Yolngu songman Daniel Wilfred and electro-acoustic musicians Martin Ng and Ben Carey. 

 

Over the last decade Daniel Wilfred has developed an international reputation as an innovator of Yolngu music traditions, seeking to develop new artistic directions for the ancestral music of Arnhem Land. In 2022, Daniel worked with turntablist and electronic musician Martin Ng on ‘Fresh Water-Salt Water’, a critically acclaimed collaboration between the Australian Art Orchestra and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. This collaboration led to Waakya, “the crow moving its feathers”, an extraordinary re-imagining of manikay that surprises and delights with a new, spell-binding beauty.

 

David Wilfred (Yidaki) and Matt McGuigan (guitar) join for this special performance at White Bay Power Station on Wednesday 5 June.

This performance is part of the 24th Biennale of Sydney, Ten Thousand Suns.

This performance will take place at the NSW State Heritage-listed White Bay Power Station, as part of the 24th Biennale of Sydney.

Placemaking NSW has undertaken extensive remediation and conservation works to repurpose White Bay Power Station as an arts, cultural and community hub. It will become a focal point for the transformation of the Bays West precinct into a connected and vibrant new area for living, working and recreation.

White Bay Power Station was constructed between 1912 and 1917 to power the rail network and is now over 100 years old. It is exceptionally significant as the only power station retaining machinery and equipment from before the 1950s, demonstrating the process of electricity production and its use throughout Sydney’s extensive rail network.

Performances

Performances

Wednesday 5 June 2024, 7:00pm

Location

White Bay Power Station
28 Robert St, Rozelle

Tickets

Free, by ballot only

This is an 18 years and over event
Strobe lighting and other intense lighting may be used
Haze may be used

Ballot closed

Ballot draw date: Wednesday 29 May 2024

Ticketing FAQs

  • All Wednesday night performances at White Bay Power Station during the 24th Biennale of Sydney are free.

  • Due to high demand for these performances, tickets will be issued at random to those who have entered each ticket ballot. Each performance has a separate ballot, so if you would like to attend multiple performances, you will need to enter each ballot separately.

    We advise you to listen to the artist you are entering the ballot for, and consider which shows you’d really like to attend. Entering more ballots does not increase your chances of attending.

    Please only enter our ballots with your own details - if we catch you using false details, you won’t have any luck. We reserve the right to cancel any tickets we believe are obtained through false information at any time.

  • If you are successful you will receive an email up to ten days prior to the performance with instructions on how to claim your tickets.

    This offer is only valid for a limited time. Unclaimed tickets may be forfeited. You will have the option of confirming up to two tickets for a performance.

  • No, your tickets will be valid for a specific performance only. If you are unable to attend, please pass the ticket onto a friend or contact us at tickets@phoenixcentralpark.com.au to allow someone else the opportunity to attend.

    You can enter ticket ballots for your chance to attend another performance.