Poignant tale warns world
of cultural exploitation

In 1971, Geoff Bardon traveled to Papunya in central Australia to take a position as an art instructor in an Aboriginal settlement. Though his stay was brief, his influence was indelible and far-reaching. In less than two years, Bardon had helped ignite the Western Desert art movement, considered one of the greatest innovations in 20th-century art.

"Mr. Patterns" Australia, Golden Maile documentary nominee Playing at 4 p.m. Sunday and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 29 Rating: Details: HIFF runs through Oct. 31. Tickets are $8. Check the Web site hiff.org for a schedule, or call 528-4433.

As Bardon explains in Catriona McKenzie's hourlong documentary, diversions were few for the 1,500 inhabitants of the village. Recognizing the importance of perpetuating the culture of these marginalized folk, Bardon heartily encouraged his pupils to commit to canvas (or any available surface) the unique patterns they sometimes adorned their bodies with or carved in the earth to alleviate the tedium of settlement life. His constant appeals to the children, and later, the adults of the settlement, to build on their singular method of ornamentation earned him the name "Mr. Patterns."

Though many of the friends he had made during his tenure have passed on, we see through footage amassed by Bardon, and through the testimonials of old acquaintances and fellow faculty captured by McKenzie's crew, that his presence brought more to the community than anyone had anticipated. Soon, villagers were earning money for their work. It was the first time white society had placed value on anything they'd done, comments an art expert.

Yet, almost as quickly as Bardon discovered that these paintings could bring extra income to the village, ruthless and self-seeking art traders and bureaucrats threatened to sabotage Bardon and the Papunya art project. The subsequent events nearly resulted in Bardon's death. Though these life-turning developments could benefit from further detail by the film's makers, "Mr. Patterns" is certainly eye-opening and, like Bardon, should be lauded for championing native cultural expression and for warning the world against the subsequent suppression and exploitation that often follows.