Dearly Departed: Live activation of Untitled (Death Song) by Megan Cope

A live in-gallery activation of Untitled (Death Song) by Megan Cope exploring sound, memory and loss.

Untitled (Death Song) is a sound-based artwork that reflects on Country, memory, loss and listening. Inspired by the call of the yellow-eyed Bush Stone-curlew – a sound understood as a harbinger of death in Quandamooka culture – the work invites audiences to consider how sound carries meaning, memory and cultural knowledge.

For this event, the work is activated live through the work’s sound designer, Isha Ram Das, alongside a group of musicians, creating an immersive, time-based listening experience within the gallery. The activation transforms the space into a shared environment for focused listening and quiet reflection.

Presented as an intimate gallery experience, this event invites audiences to slow down, listen deeply and engage with sound and presence in a collective setting.

This event runs in conjunction with Dearly Departed: death in life, State Library’s exhibition drawing on rich collections of objects and stories to explore how social, cultural, spiritual, historical and political forces have shaped Queenslanders’ attitudes to death and dying. Attendees are encouraged to visit the exhibition before or after the event to deepen their engagement with its themes and artworks.

Content note

This event engages with themes of death, loss, memory and remembrance. Content may include sound, imagery or discussion that some people may find emotionally affecting. You’re welcome to participate at your own pace and to step away or take a break at any time.

This event may include references to, or recordings of, people who have since passed, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Image: Megan Cope, Untitled (Death Song), 2020. Installation view: Reclaim the Earth, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2022. Photo: Aurélien Mole.