Indigenous art fair unveils fashion performance ‘Look and Listen’

Combining fashion, choreography and the spoken word, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair has unveiled its reimagined First Nations fashion performance.

The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair will showcase the work of six Indigenous designers worn by 16 models, including Riley Eggmolesse in a Robert Pau design and Brianna Kemmerling in work by the Kuku Bulkawaya Yuku Baja Muliku artists from Cooktown. Picture: Brendan Radke

Combining fashion, choreography and the spoken word, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair has unveiled its reimagined First Nations fashion performance – Look and Listen.

Showcasing 12 Far North designers and 16 models, show curator Lynelle Flinders said the fashion exhibit would be split into two shows at the Tanks Arts Centre on Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11.

“The whole story is Look and Listen, but it’s broken up into two separate shows. Look will have six designers and Listen will have another six designers,” Ms Flinders said.

“So it depends on who you want to go and see as to which show you go to.”

Ms Flinders said the shows were two parts of the same story.

“If you don’t go to both, you only get half the story,” she said.

Riley Eggmolesse wears a Robert Pau design, while Brianna Kemmerling models work by the Kuku Bulkawaya Yuku Baja Muliku artists from Cooktown. Picture: Brendan Radke

She said Look would feature Trinity Bay high school students choreographing the models and making the set for the first performance, while Indigenous rap band Red Eye Balla would perform in the second show, Listen.

“Look at these young people coming through … look at what these young kids are doing,” she said.

“And Listen is the rap band singing, talking. Red Eye Balas will be performing on the night to one of the walks.”

Ms Flinders said the show was inspired by this year’s CIAF theme, ‘Pay Attention’.

“We want you to look at what we do and listen to our stories and how we tell them,” she said.

“The whole thing is a story from what the models wear, how they walk, what their movements to the songs that are selected, to the lighting. Everything is a story.”

Look and Listen will hold two shows per day on July 10 and 11.

The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair will run from July 10 to 13.

Originally published as Indigenous art fair unveils fashion performance ‘Look and Listen’