Ilgarijiri - Things Belonging to the Sky: Connecting Australian Indigenous Artists and Astrophysicists

"Ilgarijiri - Things Belonging to the Sky", is a collaborative project between Australian Indigenous artists and astrophysicists, initiated during the 2009 International Year of Astronomy. Artists and scientists came together to explore their different understandings of the night sky and the Universe. The project connects the ancient and the modern and aims to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in Australia through the night sky, a view of the Universe shared by all peoples on Earth. Following a series of group activities, the artists produced interpretations of their experiences in the traditional "dot art" painting style typical of Indigenous Australia. The paintings formed an exhibition that toured around Australian and South Africa in 2009/10. In this paper I describe the process the project followed, show highlights of the art produced and tell the stories of the paintings, and describe the positive outcomes of the project in bringing together two very different sections of Australian society.