IMAGE: Melanie Munugurr is pictured on the left, raising her hands to the sky as she speaks into a microphone with her eyes closed. To the right, Netenala Mizrahi looks towards the centre of the image, where large text says “STORIES OF WATER AND EARTH”

North meets south and freshwater meets saltwater when Darwin based Arafura Music Collective and Sydney’s much loved musical mavericks Ensemble Offspring join forces on the back of their recent Darwin Festival debut with Stories of Water and Earth. The collaboration features special guests Yuwaalaraay woman Nardi Simpson and Djapa woman Melanie Mununggurr, in a weaving of cultures, instrumental chamber music, beat poetry and dreaming stories.

Stories of Water and Earth combines an interactive performance composed by and featuring Nardi Simpson, evoking dreaming stories, traditional songs, sharing the practises of Yuwaalaraay women’s creative and cultural practice, with a new long form commission from Netanela Mizrahi and Melanie Mununggurr delving into Melanie's Yolngu identity, the triumphs and struggles of motherhood, neurodiversity and connections to land and culture.