There's two sides to every story
In 1770 Lieutenant James Cook captained the HMB Endeavour along the east coast of Australia which he then claimed on behalf of the British Crown. Eighteen years later the First Fleet arrived and established a penal colony in what is now Sydney.
It's been 250 years since Captain Cook set eyes on Australia and the National Museum of Australia is acknowledging that milestone with the Endeavour Voyage Exhibition which explores views from the ship and through the eyes on the shoreline, reminding us all there are two sides to every story.
The Exhibition has a combination of visual elements to draw the eye, provide a picture and appeal to the senses, along with plenty of information to remind us of the history.
It's not all about the "facts" as provided from the eyes of the Endeavour which originally graced the pages of our history books. The exhibition provides us with commentary. interviews and memories passed through the generations of the indigenous population, giving as perspective from the shoreline and reminding us there are two sides to every story.
As you reach the end of the exhibit you're challenged to think about history as we thought we knew it and encouraged to view the world from a different set of eyes. The exhibit contains both formal artefacts gathered over many years, along with artwork and words from school children whose history lessons are vastly different to those I personally experienced as a child.
If you're in Canberra between now and April 2021, I strongly recommend you visit the Endeavour Voyage Exhibition.
The Exhibition is free however to ensure a safe and healthy environment during the Covid pandemic, bookings are essential. T and I visited the museum at short notice last weekend and booked our ticket on arrival, but I recommend you book yours online beforehand to avoid disappointment.
For more information head to the National Museum of Australia website.
What do you know about the Endeavour Voyage?
Can you imagine viewing the arrival of Captain Cook from the shoreline?
What great exhibitions have you seen lately?
Today is Lovin Life Thursday where we remind ourselves, no matter what's going on in our world, there's always something to love about life.
I really liked that exhibition - esp the two drawing/painting of the same scene where they erased all traces of the indigenous people in the second one (both made in 18-whatever, 3 months apart). I thought it was interesting to see the other view. I just read a similar thing on the Korean war. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting. It's such a great reminder about perspective, perception and that every story has two sides.
DeleteLooks like a well-designed exhibition. Your photos are terrific.
ReplyDeleteWe were/are a very unusual country in how we view ourselves and the what and where of history, is always contentious. As a teacher I know we did history and social studies rather poorly. It was (and can be) very white Anglo centred. EVERY Australian needs to learn more about the traditional owners of the land and this post...and this work here is a great way to do so. Thank you. Denyse.
ReplyDeleteThanks Denyse. The exhibition is so well done in this regard
DeleteI would love to see this. There absolutely is two sides to this story and I love that the other side is now being told.
ReplyDeleteAgree :)
DeleteWow! What a magnificent looking display! I would love to see this. There are always two sides to every story and by hearing both we get a far better understanding of what occurred.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely magnificent
DeleteI'm afraid I haven't been to any exhibitions for a few years, though we do have local art galleries here on the Fraser Coast. I was going to go recently but alas things close early (2pm) here - particularly if run by volunteers.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I love Canberra. The access to the museums and galleries. Love!
DeleteWe of course learnt all about the "discovery" and exploration of Australia in school. And we visited the replica of the Endeavour in Sydney. It is so important though to think about the other side of the story and embrace the culture of our first nations people. . Stay safe, enjoy the rest of your week and hank you for the link up.
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling a lot with history being re-written everywhere. I know there was a lot of airbrushing done at the time, but we seem to swing the pendulum so far in the opposite direction these days. I guess the truth of the matter lies somewhere in between.
ReplyDeleteThree sides to every story perhaps?
DeleteIt looks like an interesting exhibit. I think that we always need to tell both sides of the story. That is just me. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Telling two sides to the story isn't rewriting history, it's simply expanding the written word to encompass more of our history.
DeleteThat looks like such a great exhibit!
ReplyDeleteI love the first photo! I've never heard of this voyage, and I know I would definitely enjoy this exhibition. I haven't been to an exhibition or anything for a while because of Covid. Some places are open, but I can only handle wearing the mask for so long. :(
ReplyDeleteYes, I can understand that whole mask thing! We in Canberra, Australia don't have Covid so we don't have to wear the masks. But my bestie in PA, USA has to wear it every time she steps outside the door which I can imagine can get quite irritating and limit your want to get out and explore
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