Breath

Uncle Paul Gilralido Chapman is a Wakka Wakka First Nations elder who plays and teaches the didjeridoo. For him the art of circular breathing is a way for young people to learn about themselves and how to listen deeply to the world and sounds around them.

Rob’s Notes:

Kyla and I are interested in how deep listening helps us connect with the climate crisis. In a world full of noise and busyness pepped up on caffeine, most of us are not fully aware of ourselves, each other and our surroundings.  Perhaps part of our struggle to comprehend the climate crisis lies in this disconnection, but where does one start to learn deep listening? 

Uncle Paul Gilralido Chapman is a Wakka Wakka First Nations elder now living in central Victoria, Australia. Kyla and I spent an afternoon at Uncle Paul’s house with his wife Dawn, their two big dogs and his room full of didjeridoos. 

Through the Didjeridoo, Uncle Paul helps young people, often disadvantaged or disengaged, learn the art of circular breathing, as a way to learn about themselves and then start them on a journey of listening to the sounds around them. 

Uncle Paul has an infectious laugh and a great way of conveying how the ancient Didjeridoo can open up our ears to deep listening to everything around us. From this interview Kyla and I put together a short piece as an entry into the radio art project: 60secondsradio. 

After the interview, Paul and I played some music together. Playing music across cultures is something that has always interested me, as it seems to be a way of meeting and understanding people with very different world views and having conversations in a way that other languages are not able to.

Credits
co-Produced by Kyla Brettle & Rob Law
Original Music by Rob Law
Photography by Darren Howe, curtesy of the Bendigo Advertiser

Featuring
Uncle Paul Chapman

License
CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution NonCommercial-ShareAlike)

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Links
Kyla’s Blog
Rob’s music
Bendigo Advertiser