Stories
Joseph Douglas
Generations Fellow
Somehow this place makes me feel light as a feather, perhaps it is the metric tonnes of brick and mortar surrounding me, or the gargantuan engine of the soviet rocket ship inside the museum.
Joseph Douglas, aka Joey Leigh Wagtail, is a Dunghutti/Gumbaynggirr man hailing from South West Rocks who has been playing and writing music since high school. Coming from a lineage of musicians, Douglas has developed an eclectic style that continues to evolve.
The Powerhouse Generations Fellowship connects artists with established industry experts and mentors, to pass on intergenerational knowledge and create pathways in the music industry. Between November 2022 and April 2023, Douglas was in residence at Powerhouse to develop his music and explore instruments in the collection.
Learning the history of the place, particularly how it was built and by whom, gives me a daily reminder that I walk on the shoulders of giants. My ancestors, they were the first to master aerodynamics with the invention of the boomerang and seeing how far human ingenuity has come since then, baffles me but also inspires, that I too have a part to play in this divine creative process.
I finally got to see the collection at Castle Hill. I felt a bit intimidated by the amount [and] sheer size of some of the pieces and wearing gloves to touch the instruments didn’t feel natural to me but it was fun.
