Disrupting Invisibility

• Archie MOORE
• Nonggirrnga MARAWILI
• Rusty PETERS
• Brian ROBINSON
• Raymond ZADA

disrupting: to cause disorder or turmoil in; to break apart; invisibility: not visible; not perceptible by the eye; withdrawn from or out of sight.

Indigenous people and their histories have been hidden for too long. Over time we have been actively disrupting the silencing, revealing the written, the photographed, the drawn and the recorded to reinforce our ongoing presence. There are many moments throughout history where the visibility of Indigenous people was challenged. Attempts to hide, integrate and annihilate were unsuccessful and only inflamed the determination by many to remain visible.

One of the defining moments in our rise in visibility was the creation of unifying symbols: the Aboriginal flag designed by Harold Thomas and first flown in 1971 and the Torres Strait Islander flag designed by the late Bernard Namok in 1992. These colours and designs evoke a strong sense of identity for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They have given many the courage, strength, pride and strong sense of community that for so long had been disrupted, dispersed or destroyed.

For Indigenous people today printed and digital media and mainstream television are collectively making our stories, content and voices more visible. The globalisation of communication empowers people over time and distance, and the use of online activism and e-participation is shifting ideologies and perspectives, providing a forum for all views to be aired while drawing strength from others.