Cowra, NSW, Dec 2011
CHALLENGE:
Tallstoreez’ Change Media and Bell Shakespeare Company have collaborated with a selection of artists from recent refugee / asylum seeker backgrounds, and explored the creation of a cutting edge inter-artwork that speaks to the global issues of forced migration.
Located at the Corridor Project near Cowra, this laboratory trained all participants in digital media while developing creative responses to the current refugee debate through Shakespeare and Shakespearean equivalents from other cultures. We explored what unites and divides us in a rapidly changing world. Forced migration means millions of people are displaced to somewhere else. This global phenomenon affects us all. How do we live and share these stories? What is our vision for the future?
It is said Shakespeare speaks to the core of the human condition, but what role does ‘Shakespearience’ play for young refugees far from home, war and their own influential storytellers and cultural heritage? This 3-year project provides a framework for them to create their own stories, engaging with a Shakespearean filter.
Our key aim for this collaboration was to develop a high quality multi-art project in collaboration with Bell and various artists and mentors, most of whom have been refugees, to creatively re-frame the public discussion about refugee issues. It is in our interests that everyone collaborating in the Cowra lab has this as their core aim, and we will do everything possible to establish an inspiring, creative container to explore these ideas.
We are aiming for a deliberate collision of CACD and the ‘high arts’ sectors, facilitated through digital media, CACD and theater professionals, who bring a diverse range of skills and experiences. This exploration included ‘classical’ training [both digital media and theater] and ‘performing emergencies’ to develop a framework for representations of ‘Other’ and cultural difference. We want to create equitable relationships for a non-exploitative, safe yet high-risk creative collaboration. Our process playfully acknowledges our diversity of experiences [whiteness, racism, colonialism, classics vs new art etc] while pushing for fun, excellence and high quality outcomes. Out of the 14 concepts developed, we made 9 films during the 4.5 day laboratory, which will be available for online viewing soon.
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PARTNERS: Australia Council for the Arts Creative Community Partnership Initiative; Bell Shakespeare Company; STARTTS NSW; members of the Melbourne Asylum Seeker Resource Centre theater group; Tallstoreez Productionz, the Corridor Project Cowra
The Perfect Refugee, Minds Eye laboratory
Click on the image above or the link to watch - Coming soon: The Perfect Refugee – Cowra laboratory.
If your device can’t play the clip, click here to watch it on Vimeo soon.
Our team will also produce new peer-produced training videos, that form part of our A Penny For Your Thoughts initiative with OurCommunity.
Click on the link to watch our current training clips here.
OUTCOMES:
During the first stage of the project, we created a series of viral mock ads, short dramas, comedies and mini-documentaries, by exploring fun/ innovative/ disruptive ways to engage the public in the debate. The short films form part of a performance work that we are developing with all participants and partners, with the aim to develop a major cross-arts performance work by 2013-14 for national presentation.
For the first 4.5-day creative laboratory at the beautiful Corridor Project art space in Cowra, NSW, December 5-10, we were inviting refugee artists and their supporters from different groups in VIC, SA and NSW, to work with Tallstoreez creative team [theatre, culture jamming, digital media and film making] and Bell Shakespeare team, including 4 Bell players Belinda Hoare, Ivan Donato, Paul Reichstein, Francesca Savige, theater designer Christian Harimanow and artist in residence James Evans.
The selected artists from refugee background for this first laboratory in Cowra were:
Ubah Badi
Alfarid ‘Reyaz’ Musaddique Hussain
Yomal Krishan Rajasinghe
Elvan Alp
Mirhat Turan
Fadia Al Faris
Jiva Parthipan
Samuel Bullen Alier
This laboratory will be mentored by Change Media’s creative director Jennifer Lyons-Reid, producer Carl Kuddell, Bell artist in residene James Evans, Melbourne-based community theater director Catherine Simmons and Change Media camera operator Johanis Lyons-Reid.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS: Stay tuned for updates!
IMPACT & FEEDBACK:
Adelaide ARA, SA, June 4-5 2011
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CHALLENGE: Change Media worked with 18 new arrivals and young refugees from Buthan and several African countries as well as Australian Refugee Association staff over 2 days, to continue training in film narratives, interview techniques and digital media skills as part of our 3-year multi-arts project with Bell Shakespeare Company.
PARTNERS: The Australia Council for the Arts Creative Communities Partnership Initiative; Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities; Australian Refugee Association; Buthanese Community Association SA Inc, Bell Shakespeare Company; Victorian College for the Arts Centre for Cultural Partnerships; Tallstoreez Productionz.
Training videos: coming in August 2011
Until the new videos are ready, click on the image above or the link to watch last years amazing outcome – Culture Shock !
OUTCOMES: Stay tuned for updates.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS: Stay tuned for updates.
IMPACT & FEEDBACK: Stay tuned for updates.
May 2011: Australia Council grants Tallstoreez’ Change Media project triennial Creative Communities Partnerships Initiative funding
Change Media has been successful in Stage 2 of our CCPI funding proposal to the Australia Council for the Arts, to produce new and exciting works as part of our proposed Creative Communities Partnerships Initiative for three years, 2011-2014.
The Australia Council supports us to deliver new programs for marginalized and young people and their communities across Australia over the coming years, alongside our other partners such as the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet – Office for the Arts’ Indigenous Cultural Support Grant, Bell Shakespeare Company, the Australian Refugee Association; the Ngarrindjeri Land & Progress Association, OurCommunity and all our other partners.
Thanks to all our supporters for all your fantastic work over the last years – we are looking forward to establishing Change Media as a leading initiative for disruptive innovation in the CACD sector nationally and to continue the incredible success we had over the last 7 years in South Australia.