This year the Black Harmony
Transcription
This year the Black Harmony
Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 16/2/10 8:06 PM Page 1 Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 20/2/10 6:58 PM Page 2 Black Harmony Gathering Visible Regional ulticultural Arts Victoria presented a significant artistic program in 2009 with our artists and communities both established and emerging in partnership with a wide range of organisations. Some of the achievements for over the past year were: M > The continuation of the award winning partnership program Mix It Up!, developed in association with the Arts Centre > Our new corporate identity rolled out in 2009 which was created for the organisation by distinguished design company Cato Purnell Partners > The recording of the VISIBLE 4, Urban Prose and New Scool Rulez CDs - musical snapshots of Melbourne’s many diverse cultures both traditional and contemporary > Further growth of the Emerge Cultural Network supporting new and emerging artists through the Visible mentoring program > The creation of Emerge Cultural Regional Hubs – in Shepparton and Ballarat > Producing the annual Emerge Festival – a platform for Melbourne’s freshest new talented emerging artists > Successful implementation of reconciliation programs, including Black Harmony Gathering and hosting two indigenous trainee positions leading to pathways in the arts > Hosting Kultour the National Multicultural Arts Touring Company at the MAV offices > Touring of artists nationally in partnership with Kultour > Auspicing Tony Yap Company (TYC) who worked internationally in partnership with South Korean Nottle Theatre Company to present A Palimpsest in Melbourne and the Necessary Stage presenting Past Caring in Singapore > TYC and MAV assisted in the creation and production of the first contemporary Arts Festival in Melaka, Malaysia > Continuing partnership with VMC included programming the Premiers Gala Dinner for 1,400 people and the development of Viva Victoria for Cultural Diversity Week attended by over 50,000 > Successfully programming the Suzuki Night Markets which were attended by over 300,000 people 2 Emerge Festival partnership is with Kultour, and we will be touring Mandinka Sound – One Africa and Muhamanwe to five centres in Victoria and twenty five destinations nationally. Their tour > Launch of Step By Step film documentary on kicked off recently at the Footscray Community Sudanese refugees in Melbourne at ACMI with Arts Centre. These two African groups are great ambassadors for multicultural arts in film maker Thomas Barecevic Australia and are an indication of the depth of > Presenting Music Deli concerts in talent we have in Melbourne. We also soon partnership with ABC Radio National, plus the will have Zulya and the Children of the creation of a pilot Music Deli concert at the Underground touring as well as visual artist new acoustically amazing Melbourne Recital Lisa Hilli. Centre In March we have Cultural Diversity Week, > Touring work to regional Victoria in which allows us to reflect on the importance partnership with RAV – Kavisha Mazella Trio of eliminating racism in our community. It is a timely reminder that we must all be proactive > Creation of a new professional platform in this especially given the recent events series for emerging artists - Visible sessions involving the Indian community. The Arts can Live at the Black Box play a critical role in making sure we have a > Development of the Fresh Youth program with forums, master classes and international cohesive community. MAV will also present our unique Black Harmony Gathering in guest artists- Y Love and Akil partnership with the Warrior Spirit Art > Participation in an international delegation Collective in the beautiful natural setting of to China with the Australian Multicultural Fairfield Amphitheatre, to celebrate the Foundation International Day for the Elimination of Racism > Presenting a refugee week forum in on Sunday March 21. At the event we will partnership with the Ethnic Communities launch the Black Harmonies inaugural CD Council of Victoria supported by the Koori Justice Unit. > Creation of Cultural Intersections Residency MAV once again will work collaboratively with Series for the development of new our valued partner the Victorian Multicultural intercultural work with the City of Yarra and Commission to celebrate our living cultural Ausdance heritage in Cultural Diversity Week with Viva > Working with Youthworx on a community Victoria . The Viva Victoria Festival will development project with homeless kids who highlight the importance and contribution to filmed MAV events at the Arts Centre the arts made by both established and > Assisting accomplished band Black Jesus – emerging artists and communities in Victoria. Experience to tour to Ethiopia and Germany Viva Victoria will showcase the creative depth > Hosting forums for the City of Melbourne, of the talent in Melbourne and beyond. MAV APRA and professional development will also be presenting some of our most workshops for artists talented artists at the Premiers’ Gala Dinner for Cultural Diversity Week at the And 2010 promises to be just as eventful for MAV. We have commenced this new year, the Crown Palladium Ballroom. > Continuation of the Visy Venue Event Assistance pilot program, to support multicultural activity and programs in the City of Hume Year of the Tiger, with two very important ongoing award winning initiatives; the Suzuki Night Market and the Mix It Up program. The first Mix It Up! event for this year was the Toumani Diabati concert held in January in Hamer Hall with special guests Jali Buba Kuyateh and Afrodizziact. We also worked closely with the Australia Day Committee and the Arts Centre to present a new initiative at the Myer Music Bowl with the Indian Community - Jai Ho! Another continuing Finally and most importantly we are currently in the midst of recording our history. We are working with Paul Clarkson to document the stories and the evolution of Multicultural Arts Victoria from the Festival of All Nations into the vibrant organisation it is now. We thank you all for being part of the journey and making MAV what it is today. Jill Morgan Executive Officer Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 23/2/10 2:41 PM Page 3 Visible Sessions Live @ the Black Box The Buddha My Body - tyc & Nottle Theatre Mix It Up! Visible Concert MAV Staff 2008 Visible Sessions Live @ the Black Box 3 Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 20/2/10 7:01 PM BLACK HARMONY GATHERING eld in the heart of Aboriginal land under the gum trees on the banks of the Yarra River at the Fairfield Amphitheatre, the Black Harmony Gathering is a unique event with the message “say no to racism!”. Indigenous and multicultural communities come together in a spirit of reconciliation for Cultural Diversity week. H Black Harmony Gathering is a showcase for premium professional and talented haBiBis emerging Indigenous, African and refugee artists. The Black Harmony Gathering will feature a Cultural Stage led by Indigenous artists Koori Youth Will Shake Spears, Skye Taikato and Friends, Meriki Hood, Johnny Mac and more. With friends from our multicultural music and dance scene the Page 4 African Royal Drummers, Narasirato Pan Pipers from the Solomon Islands, Shiamak Bollywood dance group and the soul pumping vibes of African band Blak Roots. MC’s Shiralee Hood and Neda. The day will be opened with youth forum Skillz at 12pm, coordinated by our indigenous trainee Calca Edwards, a traditional Welcome to Country and a smoking ceremony followed by the Black Harmonies CD launch and Cultural Stage. There is a Koori BBQ of kangaroo and emu sausages, cultural food stalls, children’s activities, workshops and a market place of Indigenous and African wares. People from all cultures come together for the Black Harmony Gathering a positive celebration that is very special and important for the community. Youthworx Joel Bennetti, our other trainee, will be recording the day! All welcome - say no to racism! Black Harmony Gathering is proudly supported by City of Yarra, Victoria Rocks, Koori Justice Unit, APRA, Victorian Multicultural Commission, Besen Family and Triple R. Kavisha Mazzella Johnny Mac Dya Singh Kutcha Edwards 4 Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 16/2/10 8:26 PM Page 5 BLACK HARMONIES CD his year the Black Harmony Gathering will launch the first Black Harmonies CD. The ‘Black Harmonies’ project is a powerful and exciting new Indigenous music initiative that will see the development of 10 contemporary new Australian works that fuse the unique musical styles, cultures, experiences and expressions of established and emerging Melbourne based Indigenous and culturally diverse Australian musicians, singers/songwriters, and emcees. T The Black Harmonies CD will cross the cultural boundaries to create a cultural revolution in the Australian music scene and features artists Kutcha Edwards, Peter Rotumah, Casey Atkinson, Tjimba Possum-Burns, Selwyn Burns, Ajak Kwai, Aminata Doumbia, Michelle Belesy, Joe Geia and Diafrix. This unique and innovative new pilot project brings together indigenous and non indigenous artists who have demonstrated outstanding talent and skill in their genre, working collaboratively and to provide a shared voice for their respective communities. These new creations address, in particular, the commonalities within the struggle. Black Harmonies artists explore common threads which connect these communities, their shared aspirations, visions and dreams. The 10 new Australian works have been workshopped, developed and recorded as part of a new CD compilation Album called ‘Black Harmonies’ which will be launched at the Black Harmony Gathering in 2010. Neda Rahmani Diafrix Ajak Kwai Sudeep Lingamneni 5 Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 20/2/10 7:09 PM Page 6 development and advocacy and MAV’s leadership role in developing strategies to engage with diverse communities, artists and ethnic organisations. 2009 saw the presentation of seven music concerts and one theatre production under the Mix It Up! program. They were; Gypsy Kings, Tinariwen, Cafe Rebetika, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Visible, Sounds of Colombia and Djan Djan & Dya Singh. In addition to these exciting main-stage acts, MAV programmed a series of local artists as a part of the ‘Public Program’ attached to Mix It Up! events. As well as providing free local entertainment to audiences, the Public Program also included traditional food stalls, visual art and craft exhibitions and sales, CD sales and cultural demonstrations. 2009 MIX IT UP! OVERVIEW Mix It Up! is a joint project of Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) and the Arts Centre designed to engage with and reflect the cultural diversity of Victoria. It aims to increase individual and community access and participation in the vibrant artistic and cultural life of Victoria. Multicultural Arts Victoria and the Arts Centre developed a unique partnership during 2006 to create and deliver the inaugural Mix It Up! program which has continued to 2010, becoming one of the core program streams at the Arts Centre. Mix It Up! highlights the Arts Centre’s leadership role in community access and engagement, program presentation, audience development, professional development for artists, creative 6 The Public Programs is to provide opportunities for our local artists to develop professionally. The primary aim of the program is to build access for communities and new pathways for artists from CALD backgrounds. This is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts Community Partnerships, Arts Victoria and the City of Melbourne. The program focus for 2009 included a mix of emerging and established communities. An important aspect was continuing to build connections within and between communities, including community cultural groups, high profile artists, consulates and the arts community. This assists in the development of community and cultural leaders who will then in turn contribute to the cultural development of their own community and other communities. The content was an evolutionary build on the 2008 Mix It Up program that offered a dramatic and long over due departure from the regular or mainstay offer at the Arts Centre. We are looking forward to bringing you another exciting and dynamic Mix It Up! program in 2010! Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 20/2/10 9:48 PM Page 7 Fine Blue Thread ‘Talanoa; Walk the Talk VII ‘Talanoa’ in Samoa generally is translated as a process of discussion between two parties finding mutual grounds through exchange of ideas. Between May and June 2010, multimedia and performance artist Shigeyuki Kihara will work in partnership with several cultural performance groups/communities to explore intercultural dialogue - Talanoa – by staging live collaborative public performances in Melbourne as part of her Talanoa: Walk the Talk II commissioned by Multicultural Arts Victoria and supported by Festivals Australia Funding as part of the Emerge Festival. Shigeyuki Kihara is a Japanese/Samoan artist who engages across multiple disciplines including visual arts and theatre. Over the last year she has embarked on an ambitious series of public performances based on a Samoan concept of talanoa which loosely translates as ‘to chat or converse’ and it is also a practice of talking through matters of cultural and social importance. Kihara’s project seeks to develop platforms for inter-cultural discussion by bringing together musical or dance groups from diverse cultural and religious grass roots communities across Australia and New Zealand to develop performances in public spaces. Some of her previous collaborations include Scottish highland pipe band and Chinese dragon dancers, Brazilian samba and Cook island drummers, Hindu singers and Christian singers, Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo players and Scottish highland drummers and the most recent, Chinese dragon dancers and Cook island drummers, commissioned by Gallery 4a for Sydney Festival. The upcoming Talanoa VI is commissioned by Auckland Triennial, March 2010 (NZ) and Talanoa VII is commissioned by Multicultural Arts Victoria, June 2010 (AUS). The communities who will be engaged in the Talanoa VII include new and emerging African communities, Indigenous Australians and Pacific communities in Melbourne. ‘Talanoa’ will provide a much needed natural platform for these communities to share through oral literacies, music, movement, storytelling/oratory and true respect and love for family, culture, identity and community. Talanoa VII will create interaction between international renowned artist Shigeyuki Kihara, the identified communities and the Melbourne wider community. The public performance will take place at the 2010 Emerge Festival on 20 June 2010. ‘When you see two different cultures with their distinct cultural contexts, beliefs and philosophies coming together, it is not only about them, it is also about the audience’ Shigeyuki Kihara 7 Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 24/2/10 12:27 PM PREMIER’S GALA DINNER he Crown Palladium Ballroom was the setting for the 2009 Premiers Gala Dinner where over 1,400 people were treated to an entertainment extravaganza showing local artists from Victoria. For Cultural Diversity Week 2010, Multicultural Arts Victoria is again working closely in partnership with the Victorian Multicultural Commission to program the cultural entertainment for the dinner. It will be a feast of talent for an evening that celebrates our unique diversity and community harmony. The line up this year includes some of our best culturally diverse artists in Melbourne. T The Premiers Gala Dinner has proven over and over to be a great platform to showcase the hard work and creativity of our many diverse and talented artists throughout Victoria. It’s their performances which brings life and excitement to this sell out annual event. 8 Page 8 There are still many wonderful community groups who have not had the opportunity to be part of this event so let’s hope it continues for many years to come! a range of exciting performers including Israeli music from Camoon, Sudanese group Eshak Awi with Fula Band and Eastern European music from Babaganoush guaranteed to get everyone up and dancing. VIVA VICTORIA Food stalls with tasty treats from all corners of the world will be open throughout the day, featuring our multicultural origins. There will also be stalls selling a wide range of handmade products and unique traditional crafts. Inspired by cultures from around the world, these artists and traders draw on Victoria’s global connections. iva Victoria, presented by the Victorian Multicultural Commission returns to Federation Square to celebrate Cultural Diversity Week in 2010. Viva Victoria is an inclusive festival featuring music, dance, food, art craft and design from the many diverse cultures in our State. V There will be two stages filled with nonstop music throughout the day, programmed by Multicultural Arts Victoria. Artist on the main stage include the stunning Ottoman Turkish Mehter Band, Slijvovitz Serbian Orchestra, Sol Nation with Laloran East Timorese Choir and Public Opinion Afro Orchestra. The Beer Deluxe Stage, down by the banks of the Yarra, will also host Around the world, the word ‘viva’ is used as an expression of goodwill, long life and best wishes. At Viva Victoria, people from all walks of life can come together to support community harmony, promote mutual understanding and respect and to celebrate our wonderful cultural diversity. Viva Victoria! Thanks to the VMC. Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 23/2/10 10:28 PM TYC/MAV IN MELAKA FESTIVAL he site-specific Melaka first Art and Performance Festival took Melaka (MAP), it seems, by surprise. MAP 09 received a huge ready audience because of the Hari Raya weekend and school holidays. The events were free and everyone was welcomed to all events. T The key events, ‘Budak Melaka’ and ‘Eulogy for the Living’ transformed the ruins St Paul Church into a magical experience with intergrated dance, music, performance art and video images like a living fresco on the walls and ceiling. Even nature provided a full moon as a lantern from the celestial sky. 15/15 Film festival was screened in the open with deep inspirations for budding filmmakers or anyone with a video camera and a story to tell. In 2010 the team will teach anyone how to make a short film of their own for the international circuit of 15/15. A Malaysian sector has taken roots. Page 9 When the weekend ended memories of the magic lingered and taken home by artists and audiences alike – some with profound meanings and others inspired to express themselves with new creative models of possibilities. MAPFest 09 was made possible from the support of E-plus Entretainment productions Malaysia, tyc and MAV. www.melakafestival.com Buddha Body Series RASA SAYANG In April tyc will present the final of Tony’s solo dance series. Rasa Sayang dances the trace of something no longer present: the suspension of a sublime essence within the paradox of positive and negative form. This compelling performance continues within the form of an extended installation established through Tony's long-term partnership with visual artist Naomi Ota and musicians Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey. 4 Shows only! Bookings: 9662 9966 Dates: Thursday-Sunday 21-23 August 8pm Where: Fortyfivedownstairs 45 Flinders Lane, Melb tyc tyc (Tony Yap Company) has just successfully received emerging key producers funding from the Dance Board of the Australia Council for the Arts and is partnered with Multicultural Arts Victoria. tyc foster and continue artistic and creative collaborations in the Asian region and to profile Asian Arts in an international context. 9 Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd Zulya and the Children of the Underground 20/2/10 9:52 PM Page 10 KULTOUR PROGRAM 2010 MAV in partnership with Kultour will be taking the best of Victorian CALD arts nationally. Zulya and the Children of the Underground Multi award-winning Zulya Karmalova is the leading proponent of Tatar and Russian music in Australia as well as one of the most versatile and accomplished vocalists on the world music scene today. The Children of the Underground have a profound influence on Zulya’s own compositions as well as providing unique arrangements of traditional songs. Just Like Home Just Like Home is an exhibition, a meal, a film and a biography, which explores artist Lisa Hilli’s New Guinean and Australian heritage. With one simple meal Hilli highlights issues of assimilation and cultural adaption. The video documentary is a portrayal of her mother, Cathy, preparing I gir (e geerrra), literally meaning ‘to steam with hot stones’. Drawing inspiration from her mother, Hilli’s banana tree sculptures are shining monuments to the continuation and adaptation of the Tolais cooking tradition within Australia, and a celebration of a culture’s capacities to respond to shifting circumstances. Lisa Hilli One Africa 10 En Trance From her many performances of The Burlesque Hour around the globe to her infamous Butoh Cabaret DasShoku Hora!!, Yumi Umiumare’s electrifying performance style is in demand the world over. In this bold new work, Umiumare is set to detonate her extraordinary vision from the international to the other-worldy as she thrusts us into the twisted corridors of the un-living. At times brutally visceral, the performance is counterbalanced with the purity of digital painting produced live with her collaborating artists, Bambang Nurcahyadi and Naomi Ota. MANDINKA SOUND Kicking off in Victoria at the Footscray Community Arts Centre, the Mandinka Sound tour will then head off interstate to NSW, ACT, Qld, NT and WA. Mandinka Sound features two extraordinarily talented Melbourne based West African acts, Muhanamwé and One Africa. Through music, dance and song, this unique show takes audiences on a journey that traces West African culture in contemporary Australia back to its roots in the ancient Mandinka empire of West Africa. The tour also includes high-energy drumming, song and dance workshops for all ages at selected venues. The show begins with a warm and intimate acoustic set from One Africa which brings together two of Melbourne’s most loved West African performers, King Marong and Lamine Sonko. A subtle fusion of traditional West African culture and contemporary Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 24/2/10 11:41 AM Page 11 Ottoman Mehter Marching Band 3rd Commonwealth Bank Turkish Pazar Festival On Sunday 28 March between 10am – 4pm, the Queen Victoria Market will be transformed into a traditional “Turkish Pazar”, Pazar being the Turkish word for both Sunday and market. Yumi Umiumare Australian influences, One Africa creates a hypnotically soulful repertoire of original songs. Providing the rhythm and groove, King Marong has been performing professionally since the age of 12 and since arriving in Australia in 1998, has built a reputation as a master of many African drumming styles and instruments. Providing vocals and guitar, Lamine hails from a famous Senegalese griot musical family and has performed internationally alongside such greats as Youssou Ndour, Vivianne Ndour and Fatou Nguewel Diouf. After One Africa’s captivating performance, Muhanamwé take the stage with an electrifying set of traditional Guinean music and dance. Muhanamwé, meaning culture, has emerged from the dense and vibrant undergrowth of Melbourne’s world music scene as one of the freshest and most exciting West African percussion and dance ensembles. With compelling rhythms, raw vocal harmonies, rippling balafon melodies, stunning costumes and superhuman dance moves, Muhanamwé not only draws from its deep roots in West Africa but also updates and brings new life to an ancient musical and cultural tradition. Please visit multiculturalarts.com.au for more information and a full tour itinerary. Highlights of the Festival will include the ‘Ankara State Turkish Folk Music Choir’ from Turkey, the Ottoman Military Band (Mehter), performances of traditional Turkish folklore, music and dance, a wandering minstrel, and a taste of modern music from Turkey. EARTH – Drawing on Nature Muhanamwe New Star Art School will exhibit student’s “EARTH —- Drawing on Nature” exhibition at Manningham gallery to celebrate the Cultural Diversity Week of Victoria 2010. 17 March to 10 April 2010 Manningham Gallery, 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster MOTIFS A Celebration of Life through the Ukrainian Art of Pysanka and Embroidery. 15 March to 10 April 2010 Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery, 141 Queen St, Melbourne All events are proudly supported by MAV. 11 Folio 78:Magazine2 A4.qxd 24/2/10 12:19 PM Page 12 Folio Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief Jill Morgan Sub-Editors Music Jayne Lovelock Dance Tony Yap Visual Arts Naomi Ota Word Lella Carridi Theatre Meg Larkin Multicultural Arts Victoria Staff Executive Officer Jill Morgan Finance Officer Hung Nguyen Admin & Publicity Coordinator Jayne Lovelock Project Officer Claudia Escobar, Anita Larkin, Anne Harkin, Andrea Makris Youth Officer Catherine Sweeney Events & Operations Coordinator Meg Larkin Graphic Design Tony Yap Photos Bill Poon, Georgia Metaxas, Josh Robenstone, Natasha Blankfield, Claudia Sangiori Dalimore, Damian Vincenzi, Ferne Millen, Pam Kleeman, Susannah Wimberley - courtesy Shineyuki Kihara and 4A Centre for Comtemporary Asian Art. kultour CEO Magdalena Moreno Multicultural Arts Victoria Fitzroy Town Hall 201 Napier St Fitzroy PO Box 1402 Collingwood VIC 3066 P 9417 6777 F 9416 3342 E [email protected] W www.multiculturalarts.com.au Multicultural Arts Victoria History his year at MAV we are putting our important and dynamic history into book form, documenting the communities and projects we have been involved in throughout our 36 years. Written by Paul Clarkson, author of the recently published Melbourne International Arts Festival biography and former Director of Arts Victoria, the book will be a written and visual history of MAV’s development as an organisation. We are delving into our archives and pulling out fascinating information about MAV and multicultural arts in Victoria. MAV are very excited to be able to put the pieces together and tell our story about our artists and communities. T Multicultural Arts Victoria is the successor to the Festival of All 12 Nations (FAN), which was established 10 years earlier, in 1973. The FAN created a cultural revolution in the conservative, mono-cultural Australia of the early 70s. Not only did it encourage the development of many multicultural festivals across the nation, but it also set the scene for the establishment of Spoleto (the predecessor to the MIAF) and the Fringe Festival. We are currently collecting information on the Festival of All Nations (1973-1982), Piccolo Spoleto Festival and MAV. If you have any information that you think might add to the telling of our history, including programs, fliers and documents, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Jayne at the MAV office on 03 9417 6777. Proudly supported by the Sidney Myer Fund & the Myer Foundation and Arts Victoria.