Mark Atkins and Erkki Veltheim’s Mungangga Garlagula brings a deeply human story of homecoming to Perth

Mark Atkins and Erkki Veltheim. Photo by Kristian Gehradte

Mungangga Garlagula (translated from Wajarri as “yarning by the fire”) is a collaboration by legendary Indigenous performer Mark Atkins and renowned Finnish-Australian composer and performer Erkki Veltheim.

Produced by TURA, this one-night-only performance on August 11 at the State Theatre Centre of WA is a deeply human story of homecoming celebrating the life’s work of one of Australia’s finest First Nations musicians and poets through spoken word, soundscape and music.

Mungangga Garlagula is a culmination of Mark Atkins' life and expansive career. A descendent of Western Australia’s Yamatji people and of Irish-Australian heritage, Mark Atkins is a virtuosic didgeridoo player and compelling storyteller. A founding member of The Black Arm Band, Mark has collaborated with global icons such as Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Philip Glass, Ornette Coleman and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His 1994 Didgeridoo Concerto showcased his mastery of circular breathing, playing continuously for over 50 minutes – an unofficial world record at the time.

Erkki Veltheim is a Finnish-Australian multidisciplinary artist, a storyteller in live and electronic sound, and a remarkable performer on violin and viola. A Sidney Myer Fellow, he is also the orchestral composer and arranger for Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s posthumous ARIA and Australian Music Prize-winning album Djarimirri.

“Mungangga Garlagula has been and is a very powerful journey of collaboration, allowing me to express the unexplored recesses of memory and dreams – where darkness and light weave a rich brew of spirit, story, sorrow, and strength," says Mark Atkins, Co-Creator, Mungangga Garlagula.

“Mungangga Garlagula transports audiences to a world where dreams and reality merge, and the everyday coexists with the mythological,” says Erkki Veltheim, Co-Creator, Mungangga Garlagula.

As long-time collaborators and members of The Narli Ensemble, Mark and Erkki have worked together for many years through TURA’s Kimberley touring program – a creative relationship that naturally evolved into the development of Mungangga Garlagula, a work shaped over time and across country.

While Mungangga Garlagula features Mark Atkins and Erkki Veltheim in the live performance, exceptional Australian musicians Genevieve Lacey, Vanessa Tomlinson, Stephen Magnusson, Anthony Pateras and Scott Tinkler have also created and recorded a shifting bed of sound that is integral to the work. Co-created with Mark and Erkki from the outset, the recorded score and live elements form a unified sonic and narrative experience.

Audiences are led into a nocturnal world of memories, echoes, spirits and dreams, conjuring Country through words and breath, the snapping of branches and the play of shadows between the listener by the fire and the impenetrable darkness beyond.

Premiering in Mark’s hometown of Albany in late 2024, Mungangga Garlagula captivated audiences in the southwest of WA before a celebrated 2025 season at the Canberra International Music Festival. Developed over five years with UKARIA Cultural Centre in South Australia, it is the latest commission from TURA, a national organisation based in Boorloo/Perth making a leading contribution to the cultural life of Australia and beyond through award-winning productions, major projects and community engagement programs that strive for positive social change.

“The celebration of the life and work of one of this country’s finest artists is a unique opportunity to experience the crossover of many worlds – it’s powerful, engaging and transformative,” says Tos Mahoney, TURA’s Artistic Director.

A one-night only performance of Mungangga Garlagula (Yarning by the Fire) in Boorlo/Perth is happening on Monday 11 August 2025, 7:30pm at the Heath Ledger Theatre. Tickets start at $15 and are on sale now from the State Theatre Centre of WA. Visit tura.com.au for more information.