Strait Home
1 July – 23 October 2011

‘Strait Home’ at the State Library of Queensland will allow visitors to hear, experience and share stories from the Torres Strait Islands.

The State Library holds some of the most unique and significant Torres Strait Islander documentary material in Australia. The treasures in the State Library's collection have inspired interactive exhibitions, conversations, installations and performances, creating opportunities to learn about the people, history and culture of the Torres Strait Islands.

‘Strait Home’ brings together three exhibitions each offering a unique experience. The centrepiece is an immersive digital installation in the slq Gallery, where material from the State Library's collections provide a rich experience of Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage, through sight and sound.

An extraordinary watercolour collection by Torres Strait Islander artists in the Philip Bacon Heritage Gallery will be exhibited as a group for the first time. These works are significant in tracing the development of Torres Strait Islander contemporary art. The watercolours were commissioned as illustrations for Margaret Lawrie's 1970 landmark book, Myths and Legends of the Torres Strait, and form part of the Margaret Lawrie Collection of Torres Strait Islands material, which is listed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the Word Register.

The kuril dhagun Indigenous Knowledge Centre will also showcase the iconic Dhoeri (or Dari) headdress. The Dhoeri is the most recognisable symbol of the Torres Strait and forms the centrepiece of the Torres Strait flag.

Over four months, ‘Strait Home’ invites visitors to keep culture strong by connecting with this integral part of Queensland’s and Australia’s Indigenous heritage.

For more information about ‘Strait Home’ visit www.slq.qld.gov.au