In the early 1970s, Jeff Bardon traveled to Papunya, a remote Aboriginal Western Desert community, west of Alice Springs. An idealistic young art teacher, he quickly became popular with his young charges, much to the chagrin of a number of the White professionals based in the community. The Aboriginal elders saw that Bardon had dispensed with teaching the kids to draw western icons, and was encouraging them to paint the patterns (hence his nickname and the tile of the film, Mr Patterns) he saw them drawing in the sand and dust. Soon, the elders approached him, wanting him to help them find materials to be able to paint the 'real' patterns. So began one of the most important art movements of the 20th century - the 'transference' of Aboriginal and Indigenous Art onto wood-bark, tiles, paper, canvas, wood. As the success developed, the co-operative Papunya Tula developed, with money raised from the selling of paintings fed back into the community/ 'For the first time, white people valued something that we Aboriginals were doing' stated one man on receiving cash for a painting sold.
But the triumph and excitement did not last very long - Bardon had walked into a minefield of Australian/colonial politics of the day - he was offering hope at the very time when all vestiges of indigenous culture were being at best disregarded, at worst crushed. Just 18 months after his arrival, Bardon, a gentle, sensitive, naive young man, left for Sydney, where he had what was later identified as a nervous breakdown. But even then he wasn't to be left without scars - a new treatment for mental illness left him an invalid for the rest of is life.
Through rare footage shot by Bardon on his home 16mm, interviews with Bardon, his wife and present day indigenous art curators as well as surviving artists from the time, a jigsaw is presented of the 1970s in Papunya and the impact it had on 20th century art. Unfortunately, there is also a degree of assuming that the viewer knows the story already, leaving missing pieces in the jigsaw. For example, the first work the Elders did was to create a mural in Papunya. After Bardon left, this was cemented over, destroying much of the unique work. There;s only a passing comment to the fact that it was covered - no reasons given, no explanations as to the outcome (socially and artistically). The reasons why Bardon was left an invalid again was not wholly clear - the gaps in the jigsaw were filled by friends who were able to let me know what had happened - the sign of a documentary that doesn't quite fulfill its objectives. But nevertheless its still an interesting insight into its subject - and a moving one at that.
But the triumph and excitement did not last very long - Bardon had walked into a minefield of Australian/colonial politics of the day - he was offering hope at the very time when all vestiges of indigenous culture were being at best disregarded, at worst crushed. Just 18 months after his arrival, Bardon, a gentle, sensitive, naive young man, left for Sydney, where he had what was later identified as a nervous breakdown. But even then he wasn't to be left without scars - a new treatment for mental illness left him an invalid for the rest of is life.
Through rare footage shot by Bardon on his home 16mm, interviews with Bardon, his wife and present day indigenous art curators as well as surviving artists from the time, a jigsaw is presented of the 1970s in Papunya and the impact it had on 20th century art. Unfortunately, there is also a degree of assuming that the viewer knows the story already, leaving missing pieces in the jigsaw. For example, the first work the Elders did was to create a mural in Papunya. After Bardon left, this was cemented over, destroying much of the unique work. There;s only a passing comment to the fact that it was covered - no reasons given, no explanations as to the outcome (socially and artistically). The reasons why Bardon was left an invalid again was not wholly clear - the gaps in the jigsaw were filled by friends who were able to let me know what had happened - the sign of a documentary that doesn't quite fulfill its objectives. But nevertheless its still an interesting insight into its subject - and a moving one at that.
