Telek

During the past fifteen years Rabaul-based singer George Mamua Telek, known to his thousands of fans simply as TELEK, has become a legend in the burgeoning Papua New Guinea music industry. Perhaps part of his appeal is the story that a special betel nut he ate as a child made him dream village stories which he incorporates into his lyrics; perhaps it is the versatility which enables him to traverse musical styles as diverse as traditional Tolai, Stringband and Island-based rock music. He has collaborated with David Bridie and his band Not Drowning Waving, and performed at Womadelaide and the Sing Sing concerts in Melbourne, Sydney and Port Moresby.

For the Biennial, Telek and David Bridie collaborate in an exotic collage of Melanesian soundscapes complemented by the stunning visual effects created by slide artist Ian de Gruchy. They are joined by a band of Papua New Guinean and Australian musicians including John Phillips, Ben Hakilitz and Glen Lowe.