• Tuesday 16 September - Friday 19 September 2025

Sayes Arares

The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts
Monash University Clayton Campus

Past Event

Sayes Arares is a poetic multichannel visual and sonic documentary that takes the audience deep into the Middle Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. Immerse yourself in this extraordinary world in the sensory splendour of the David Li Sound Gallery.

View the program here

On this journey we hear the Sayes Arares songs: a unique sound and tumbuna (ancestral) belief system held and told in the playing of the mambu (bamboo) flutes.

Extending on a creative relationship that has spanned over 30 years, Sayes Arares is a collaborative project by musicians Gaius Wapi, Pius Wasi, Joachim Mamambi, and David Bridie, with video artist K Verell and the many cultural artists from Changriman Village, Chambri Lakes.

Using the technological capabilities of the David Li Sound Gallery, you will be transported to rural Papua New Guinea for a unique cultural experience that few outsiders are privileged to witness.

Audiences are invited to experience the installation in their own time from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Friday, and to join us for a ticketed special showing on Tues 16 Sept at 6pm.

  • Dates & Times:

    Free self-guided experience runs between 10am and 4pm. No bookings required.
    Ticketed special showing on Tues 16 Sept at 6pm.

    • Tuesday 16 September 2025, 10:00am

    • Tuesday 16 September 2025, 6:00pm


      Ticketed special showing follwed by an artists talk and Q&A featuring David Bridie, Gaius Wapi and K Verell
    • Wednesday 17 September 2025, 10:00am

    • Thursday 18 September 2025, 10:00am

    • Friday 19 September 2025, 10:00am

  • Ticket Pricing

    Special Showing + Q&A $10
    10am - 4pm visual and sonic documentary Free, no tickets required
    Special Showing + Q&A $10
    10am - 4pm visual and sonic documentary Free, no tickets required
  • Performance Information

    • Duration: Approximately 40 minutes, commencing on the hour every hour between 10am and 3pm. Tuesday special showing + Q&A approximately 2 hours.

    • Venue: David Li Sound Gallery

    • Age suitability: All ages

    • Event warnings: Some partial nudity in cultural dress.

    • Things to note: Free self-guided experience runs between 10am and 4pm. No bookings required. Ticketed special showing on Tues 16 Sept at 6pm.

  • Venue Details

    David Li Sound Gallery:
    The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts
    Monash University Clayton Campus,
    48 Exhibition Walk, Clayton 3800

    Accessibility Information