Listening to the Mountain Body
About Project
Listening to the Mountain Body was a temporary public sound installation developed through collaboration with Wurundjeri Elders, artists, and community contributors. Incorporating Woi-wurrung language, environmental sound and choral composition, the work invited audiences to slow down and listen — creating a deeper sensory relationship with Country and place.
Originally commissioned by BodyPlaceProject, the work was developed through cultural collaboration and presented at Knox Immerse Festival at Stamford Park Wetlands.
Impact
In the gallery, this collaborative installation reimagines sound and stone as choreographic agents. It features rhyodacite—volcanic rock native to Mount Dandenong (Corhanwarrabul)—alongside anthropic rock formed through human construction. These materials are placed within the gallery, evoking both geological time and contemporary presence, and proposing the rocks as listeners, storytellers, and witnesses to layered histories of place.
At the heart of the sound work is a poem written by Gülşen Özer and translated into Woiwurrung by Wurundjeri artist and Traditional Custodian, Dr Mandy Nicholson. This was developed into a song cycle composed by Dalys Hill in collaboration with the artists and The Lyrebirds – a regionally significant community choir led by Dalys Hill and based in the Dandenong Ranges. The result is a layered, intimate soundscape that holds stories, intercultural depth, and intergenerational presence.
The composition includes the words/poem:
ngurrak-al marram-u (mountain’s body)
dhumba-dji (talk to me)
dirrandil-dui (seed inside)
gama-dji (emerge from sleeping)
The sound was developed through a participatory process with choir members who reflected on their personal connection to the mountain. These reflections were then woven into vocal arrangements and composition.
Testimonial
“It helped me reconnect with parts of myself I haven’t connected to for a long time; just being still and listening — it was really moving. It’s also really important to hear Aboriginal languages, and you don’t really. So it’s important; we can’t just let it slip away.”
“I’m a local, and I was really happy when I saw you setting up here the other day. I love coming here at sunset, and I thought to myself an artist has been here and they see the beauty of this place too, the same as me — it’s special, and it makes me feel proud of my home.”
Photography: Michael Kim; Jam Media
Location: ngurrak-al marram-u / body of the mountain, by BodyPlaceProject at Burrinja Cultural Centre. & Stamford Park Wetlands, Rowville, Victoria
Dates: 2025/26
Artists: Creative Director & Producer — Gülşen Özer, Composer — Dalys Hill
Collaborators: Wurundjeri Elders and knowledge holders; Mandy Nicholson (Wurundjeri artist and language worker); Aarti Jadu; The Lyrebirds Community Choir
Organisations / Partners: BodyPlaceProject; Burrinja Cultural Centre, ngurrak barring Cultural trail, Yarra Ranges Council, Knox Immerse Festival; Knox City Council
CREDITS
Concept, installation design, poetry, lyrics, and direction: Gulsen Ozer & Aarti Jadu
Musical composition, arrangement, vocal direction & sound design: Dalys Hill
Language translation and cultural guidance: Dr Mandy Nicholson (Wurundjeri artist and Traditional Custodian)
Featured vocals: Dalys Hill, Aarti Jadu, Mandy Nicholson, Gülşen Özer, Samara Pitt
Soundscape created with The Lyrebirds Community Choir
Produced by Gülşen Özer
Commissioned by BodyPlaceProject
Curated by Gretel Taylor with Mandy Nicholson and Gülşen Özer
The project created an opportunity for audiences to encounter Woi-wurrung language and Country through sound, while connecting the local community, artists, and cultural knowledge holders. Audience responses reflected the work's capacity to create stillness, connection, cultural recognition, and a sense of belonging to place.
