Opening the Archive for Access, Engagement and Innovation
Music and language are central to identity in Indigenous communities. The return of legacy recordings made by researchers can be an emotional and exciting rediscovery of the past, contributing to the continuation of cultural practices.
In this exhibition, Dr. Jodie Kell and Steven Gagau showcase some of the ways digital archive PARADISEC safeguards valuable recordings for the future and the value of making them accessible for Indigenous communities.
The exhibition is on display until November 29 2025
at the Conservatorium of Music library, level 2
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Digitising and Preserving recordings
Audio recordings can deteriorate over time and suffer damage, creating a “race against time” to preserve heritage recordings. Eventually, many formats will be unplayable and unsavable due to their age and condition.
Opening the Archive displays specialist equipment and unpacks techniques used by PARADISEC to repair, convert, restore and enhance recordings. Enjoy seeing the physical resources needed to make analogue recordings digital and follow the QR codes throughout the exhibition to delve further into PARADISEC’s processes.
Re-connecting recordings with Communities and Descendants
One of PARADISEC’s primary motivations is to make field recordings available to those recorded and their descendants – to empower communities and individuals to connect with their cultural heritage and support the transmission of knowledge and cultural traditions.
This exhibition offers insight into how PARADISEC shares its recordings with remote and offline users. It also celebrates the people and communities who have connected with their recordings and their response to this.
About the curators
Steven Gagau is an Indigenous Tolai (Gunantuna) man from Papua New Guinea who is a cultural consultant and archivist at PARADISEC. He focuses on archival and curatorial metadata enrichments for Melanesian Pacific collections through connections and collaborations with community outreach projects.
Dr Jodie Kell is a non-Indigenous woman of Irish Australian background who is a senior research officer at the Sydney office of PARADISEC. She is an audio engineer with a PhD on Indigenous female musicians of the Ripple Effect Band, West Arnhem Land, NT.
PARADISEC (Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures) is a digital archive of records of some of the many small cultures and languages of the world. PARADISEC has a digitisation laboratory at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
FREE In-person event
Indigenous perspectives on the importance of engagement with archives
Date: Wednesday, 8 October 2025
Time: 5 – 6.10 pm
Location: Music Cafe at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Join us for a panel discussion on First Nation perspectives on archival practices, focusing on the importance of creating ways to connect and reconnect with heritage materials.
The speakers will:
- Discuss issues surrounding access to Indigenous cultural and intellectual property held in archives
- Share experiences of engagement with archival collections and reveal stories behind some of the recordings held in PARADISEC
- Ask how opening access to archives can empower Indigenous voices and support the transmission of intergenerational knowledge
This event is free and open to everyone! Please feel welcome to bring along your friends, family and peers. Registration is required for catering purposes.
Register here.
Contact
For enquiries relating to the exhibition and upcoming event, please email: christine.tennent@sydney.edu.au