00:00Birtual Hayes soaks up the prehistoric cave art all around him.
00:12He's half a world away from his country on the lands of the Bhutu Gunti Guruma people
00:17in the Pilbara.
00:18He and other traditional owners are visiting the World Heritage listed Lascaux and Chauvet
00:23caves in the south of France.
00:24Inside this area, a little bit more than 1,000 representations.
00:30And there's no hand stencils?
00:32Sometimes, but not here.
00:36Front of mind during the tour, the destruction of the most significant cultural site on their
00:41country, the Djugend Gorge Rock Shelter.
00:44Legally destroyed in a mining blast by Rio Tinto in 2020, prompting global condemnation.
00:49It was just like losing that connection to the country, like losing a child.
00:58The Bhutu Gunti Guruma and Binagura people have now embarked on a project to build a replica
01:03of Djugend over the remains of the original.
01:06It's going to fill that void in the landscape.
01:10We'll go back and enjoy it for what it is.
01:14The French caves they saw are also replicas of the originals, which were closed to protect
01:23them from damage by visitors.
01:24It's realistic.
01:26As soon as you walk in, you can feel that vibe of it being spiritual.
01:32Traditional owners also want to recapture the spirit of their ancient site.
01:36The important thing is we need to do it right, proper, the first time, because we may not
01:44get a second chance at this.
01:46It took eight years to meticulously recreate the 8,000 square metres of geological and artistic
01:52features at Chauvet.
01:54And what was the average output a week of a sculptor, or per day?
02:03They said per day, a sculptor will be able to do two square metres a week.
02:08While the French replicas are in purpose-made buildings, the Djugend reproduction will be
02:12outdoors, exposed to the searing heat and wind.
02:17I think it's a very ambitious project, and very interesting technically.
02:21This virtual reality model of Djugend has been created from the memories of traditional
02:25owners and from photos.
02:28Humans and artists wearing VR headsets will transform the digital into reality.
02:33This is what the sculptors will see when they look through the headset.
02:37It'll be like a digital guide for them to make sure that they accurately recreate the
02:41part of the cave that they're working on.
02:43The concrete mix for the new structure will include rubble from the original shelter.
02:47Not just for the colouring, but also because the original cave needs to be in the concrete.
02:55That's symbolic.
02:56That's the spirit of it.
02:58Engineering and design insights too from Lascaux and Chauvet.
03:02We've been able to learn from what's happened here in France from the reconstruction phase.
03:09And we're going to be better informed on what it is that will do.
03:14A long road ahead to heal the damage done.
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