© Miranda TetlowMulthara Mununggurr and Angela Madden inspect the stars.
Every morning at 11:30 a series of stars lights up the floor at the arts centre at Yirrkala in north east Arnhem Land.
No one has been able to explain why the stars appear and the locals believe they may be a message or a blessing from an Aboriginal artist who passed away last year.
Will Stubbs is manager at Buku-Larrngay Mulka and says it's hard to explain.
"We've only just noticed it in the last few weeks," he says. "The floor gets illuminated with star shapes that are very, very similar to the star shapes painted by a very important artist who passed away last year.
It's believed to be her blessing on the new space which she didn't get to see. It's becoming a site of pilgrimage. People are turning up every day at 11.30 to see them, and those who come have no doubt that it's her."
The centre, which is new, has round skylights but Will says this doesn't explain the mysterious phenomonon.
"We didn't get any pamphlet warning that installation of round skylights may result in strange mysterious apparitions resembling uncannily the work of important deceased artists."
Multhara Mununggurr is the niece of the artist, and says that walking into the space gives her goosebumps. She is sure the stars are the work of her aunt.
"Her spirit is still amongst us. She used to paint stars just like this on bark. The constellations and stars are an important part of our Yolngu culture. All the Yolngu stories were all up in the sky, as well as on the land and in the environment."
The art centre is now considering naming this new wing after the artist, now known as Djotarra Yunupingu.
naming the centre after her? how nice. Except it isnt, because Aboriginals dont utter the name of the dead. or show photos/images of.
This is marketing, BTW: the skylights are directly above each light, and they just happened to acquire the rights to the artist work and started an exhibit...a few weeks ago.