Yalinguth vs Birrunga Gallery

Yalinguth (“yesterday” in Woi Wurrung) is a mobile app/ audio augmented reality experience that connects people to place and history through geo-located soundscapes and stories told by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In keeping with oral traditions, and to minimise screens, Yalinguth is expressed entirely through sound. The overall premise of Yalinguth is guided by the words of the Elders that “we need to go back, to go forwards”. Yalinguth aims to connect students, tourists, and the local community with important firsthand historical accounts, increasing people’s knowledge of the Aboriginal history of Victoria. The purpose is to increase empathy, respect, community connection, and to celebrate the Elders who paved the way for Aboriginal Rights in Victoria and Australia. With this, Yalinguth aims to contribute to the processes of truth telling, healing and reconciliation. Yalinguth contains two separate audio walks in Melbourne, Australia: the first to launch was the birthplace of the rights movement, Gertrude Street in Fitzroy; and the second along the Birrarung/Yarra River in the Melbourne CBD. Yalinguth can only be heard once you are at these locations and is best experienced with headphones.

The Birrunga Gallery augmented reality app allows you to experience the wonderment of hearing the incredible, harrowing, and inspiring stories behind the unique artworks featured in the gallery. Using image recognition, visitors scan artworks, launching interactive experiences where artists narrate the history, culture, truth and story telling behind each artwork. The app provides points of interest to explain how the colours, shapes, and objects relate to and convey the stories.