The Lumen Seed

The Lumen Seed sensitively depicts a cultural dialogue taking place before a backdrop of offenses against the Australian continent, as well as a history of systematic discrimination against indigenous peoples on the part of the country’s white population. The images, created by Australia-based artist Judith Crispin in close consultation with indigenous people, document an attempt by the Warlpiri group to share sacred information with white people; the poems convey the artist’s interpretation of those ideas, alongside her development of personal relationships with community elders.

Judith Crispin returned to Australia in 2011 after living and working in Germany for several years. Since that time she has driven the 8000km round trip from her home in Canberra to the remote community of Lajamanu many times and established a close relationship with the Warlpiri community there. Crispin has a background in music composition, poetry and photography.

Juno Gemes is one of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary photographers. In words and images she has spent 40 years documenting the changing social landscape of Australia, and in particular the lives and struggles of Aboriginal Australians.

Author Biography

Judith Crispin returned to Australia in 2011 after living and working in Germany for several years. Since that time she has driven the 8000km round trip from her home in Canberra to the remote community of Lajamanu many times and established a close relationship with the Warlpiri community there. She has a background in music composition, poetry and photography.

Juno Gemes is one of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary photographers. In words and images she has spent 40 years documenting the changing social landscape of Australia, and in particular the lives and struggles of Aboriginal Australians, a process that culminated in her being one of the ten photographers invited to document the National Apology in Canberra in 2008. She studied at Sydney University, worked in theatre and wrote for the International Times in London on and off until 1971, when she became involved in the Yellow House at Potts Point, Sydney and worked in central Australia on the film Uluru (1978). She held her first solo exhibition, We Wait No More, in 1982; the same year she exhibited photographs in the group shows After the Tent Embassy and Apmira – Artists for Aboriginal Land Rights. In 2003 the National Portrait Gallery exhibited her portraits of Indigenous activists and personalities, Proof: Portraits from the Movement 1978-2003. The NPG has since acquired many of her photographs.