Overflow

Name: Overflow
Start: 2026-11-05T23:00:00.000Z
Location: Parramatta

Opens 7 Nov

Parramatta

Powerhouse Parramatta

Phillip Street, Parramatta NSW 2150

Overflow is a First Nations-led exhibition grounded in the living principles of Water Country. A convergence of 7 community commissions developed with Aboriginal-led organisations across New South Wales, Overflow shares enduring practices that extend care to saltwater and freshwater systems.

The work of the commissioned organisations – including Baramadagal Community, Gamay Rangers, The Goondee Aboriginal Keeping Place and Museum, Jagun Alliance, Joonga Land and Water Aboriginal Corporation, Moogahlin Performing Arts and Naru Aboriginal Corporation – demonstrates Aboriginal knowledge as an active system of care, inviting an expanded understanding of custodianship. Spanning saltwater and freshwater systems, these practices encompass endangered species protection, flood mitigation, sustainable and commercial fishing, water monitoring, wellbeing, language revitalisation and cultural water rights.

These stories are brought to life by the cinematic lens of acclaimed filmmaker and Kamilaroi man Ivan Sen. Embedded, relational and respectful of community knowledge and authority, Sen’s work carries audiences to water and invites them to cultivate a deeper connection with it through profound cultural insight.

Designed with Country by Tyrell Studio, Overflow provides a new ground plane, a place to step into water. Through the installation, water becomes more than subject matter: it is presence, memory, kin and a force that carries stories across generations. An act of truth-telling, Overflow’s undulating platform bridges the past and present conditions of Parramatta’s floodplain, reflecting on the power of water and how it has shaped the land beneath us over millennia.

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Community Commissions

Community commissions are central to Overflow. Supporting 7 Aboriginal-led organisations across New South Wales recognising and building on the vital work already being undertaken in caring for water country, each commission is conceived and led by the participating organisation.

Baramadagal Community

Dharug Country (Parramatta)

River Rangers Pilot Program is a project establishing Traditional Owner stewardship, seasonal observation and community-led ecological monitoring along the Parramatta River, cultivating intergenerational Caring for Country.

Gamay Rangers

Dharawal Country (La Perouse)

Caring for Marine Mammals in Coastal Sydney is the first dedicated study of marine mammals in Gamay (Botany Bay) and surrounding coastal Sydney waters, generating vital data to support marine conservation.

The Goondee Aboriginal Keeping Place and Museum / Woganurra Aboriginal Corporation

Yuwaalaraay (Lightning Ridge)

Gaay Dhaymaarr-ngu is a new space to experience Yuwaalaraay cultural Knowledge of Sky, Water, Country and creation through sound, projection and storytelling.

Jagun Alliance

Bundjalung Country (Lismore, Northern Rivers)

Water Weaving Fire is a gathering and storytelling initiative responding to the intertwined experiences of fire, flood, water health and cultural resilience. Through these place-based cultural practices, the project strengthens intergenerational learning and deepens relationships to waterways, species and Country.

Joonga Land and Water Aboriginal Corporation

Yuin Country (Narooma, South Coast)

NSW Sea Country Alliance and Caring for Sea Country is a 2-part initiative focused on Indigenous-led Sea Country governance, intergenerational learning and cultural knowledge exchange.

Moogahlin Performing Arts

Ngemba (Brewarrina)

Big Rivers, No Fish Feast explores the interconnected relationship between river health and community wellbeing across the Brewarrina region through environmental action, cultural practice, storytelling, workshops and performance.

Naru Indigenous Corporation

Gumbaynggirr (Coffs Harbour)

THE supports Indigenous youth through connection to ocean, culture, wellbeing and community by creating a culturally safe environment centered on belonging, leadership and Sea Country.

Still images from Overflow film. Photo: Ivan Sen

Collaborators

Overflow was developed in collaboration with industry leaders including:

Key Collaborator | Ivan Sen

Ivan Sen has created a major new moving image collection of stories for Overflow developed in close collaboration with 7 Aboriginal-led organisations caring for Water Country across New South Wales. A meditation on water, memory, Country and cultural continuity, the work was filmed over many months across rivers, wetlands and coastlines, offering a powerful portrait of Indigenous knowledge and relationships with place.

Concept Creator