Q&A with Erkki Veltheim and Mark Atkins

Mark Atkins, a descendant of Western Australia’s Yamaji people and of Irish–Australian heritage, is a virtuoso didgeridoo player and storyteller. Erkki Veltheim, a Finnish–Australian artist, works across live and electronic sound, with a background in violin and viola performance. Together they have collaborated over many years, and developed Mungangga Garlagula as an evolving project.

Ahead of their performance at Bunjil Place, we asked Mark and Erkki to tell us more about the show.

Can you tell us about Mungangga Garlagula (Yarning by the Fire) and what audiences can expect?

Munganga Garlagula is a dream-like, nocturnal journey around outback Australia, told through Mark's camp fire stories of ghosts, mythical beings and extraordinary experiences in faraway places. These are woven through with Mark's virtuosic didgeridoo playing, and accompanied by an atmospheric, cinematic soundtrack featuring some of Australia's foremost musicians.

What inspired the creation of this piece, and how did the idea first come to life?

This work is inspired by Mark’s life experiences, both real and imaginary, and Aboriginal mythology. It was conceived over several Tura New Music tours of the Kimberley and Pilbara, travelling through the outback and sleeping under the stars.

Is there a message or feeling you hope audiences take with them after the show?

To make the audience feel like they've been carried to some extraordinary places and have experienced a new perspective on the land that we live on.

What draws you to collaborative and cross-cultural projects?

Collaboration allows us to exchange stories and experiences, like a conversation that goes to places you wouldn't expect. Other musicians turning your thoughts into sounds, creating something that one person alone couldn't.

Who (or what) influences in your music-making?

Meeting other musicians, untold stories of Australia, personal experiences from childhood.

What role does experimentation play in your work, and this work in particular?

We're always experimenting, finding new challenges, taking things in new directions. This keeps you alive, fresh, curious. In Mungangga Garlagula, Mark has developed new didgeridoo techniques and characters, using multiple didgeridoos together to create previously unheard textures and sounds.

For someone who might be new to this kind of performance, what would you say to encourage them to come along?

Mungangga Garlagula will make you experience Australia with fresh eyes and ears. It is a chance to listen, think and reflect about where we live and our relationship to the land.

What are you currently listening to | reading | watching? 

Frogs and birds, water running in streams. Music is in everything. Stories are in everything.