Kate
DISPLAYING POSTS BY: Kate (28)
Kate is an Online and Multimedia Producer for Museum Victoria projects.
4 January, 2011 16:25 by Kate
Talking Difference now has a YouTube Channel. It's a place to share ideas and spark dialogue about cultural difference and promote diversity.
Why not join the converation and share your story ....
Comments (0)
23 November, 2010 15:54 by Kate
In our last workshop, some of the Pilot Team also finished off their stop motion animation - a creative take on diversity and difference.
Check them out ...
Comments (0)
23 November, 2010 10:23 by Kate
Last Saturday we filmed the first half of the Mockumentary the TD Pilot Team have been working on for the last few weeks.
Watch this space for the final video but for now, here are some photos from behind the scenes.
Kather, our "Weatherman", on the green screen set.
Image: Museum Victoria
Source: Museum Victoria
Amie, Tatiana and Kather review the takes from "Weather" segment.
Image: Amie, Tatiana and Kather review the takes from "Weather" segment.
Source: Museum Victoria
AnnMaree and Sen on the set of the "Neighhours" segment, which will include interviews with wanna-be extras for Neighbours.
Image: Museum Victoria
Source: Museum Victoria
Comments (0)
9 November, 2010 12:06 by Kate
Brazilian Festival - Sunday 14 November at the Immigration Museum
Image: Timothy Burgess
Source: Timothy Burgess
This weekend is a great time to learn something new and experience a bit of the vibrant Brazilian culture.
Join in on fun Brazilian festivities as the Immigration Museum comes alive and celebrates the Brazilian community in Victoria.
Discover this fascinating culture through traditional music, dance, food, film and sports. Experience capoeira – a combination of martial arts, acrobatics and music – and participate in exciting family activities at this one day festival.
You can even win tickets to see Melbourne Heart FC!
For more info check out the Brazilian Festival on Facebook.
Comments (0)
26 October, 2010 12:23 by Kate
The TD Pilot Team have been using their FlipCams to create all sorts of videos. We are currently working on a Mockmentary in the workshops.
But they have also been using their flipcams to make videos outside the workshops. Here is Kather’s latest video – a commentary about today’s individualistic lifestyle, personal relationships and respect.
Enjoy!
And here is what Kather says about his film ...
This video is about a guy who is isolated and alienated from the society. He has come to make up with his family, but they are just in his imagination.
He is living in a fantasy life. He looks older than his age. He has a wife named Martha and a son. He is also aware of the turbulence in his relationship. He believes his wife is not paying much respect to him, which he expects from her. This is kind of a psychological state of his mind that he has a lot of expectation from others.
There has been lots of ups and downs within his relationship, which he become sick and tired of. He seeks revenge and wants to hurt his wife by killing his son. In this video he speaks within his imaginary world and goes along no specific path.
The moral of this short art film is about today's social life, which has turned into a competition. No one actually has enough time to spend with their family and friends, because there are lots of other opportunities to spend their time; in terms of internet, video games and other entertaining stuff.
But there comes a time when we grow old, and realize that we don't have many people around us because we didn't make any healthy relationships with any one. We didn't really try to help, understand & love each other with honesty.
This has certainly made an individual lifestyle for people to live in, and it creates lots of psychological problems. People are missing something but are not exactly sure what it is.
Thus we must work on our relationships, specially promoting family life, which seems to be difficult but has lots of benefits in our life in terms of our morals and understanding life in a better way. And to die with respect.
Comments (0)
11 October, 2010 12:28 by Kate
A few weekends ago our TD Fellow Ana Vaz set up her camera at a Ramadan Festival in Broadmeadows to start her series of family portraits. Over the weekend she took around 40 video portraits of various groups.
Here are a few preview images from her weekend film shoot.
The Latifi family (father and 2 daughters): Aisha, Zainab and Nasim
Image: Ana Vaz
Source: Museum Victoria
Raehid Rizki
Image: Ana Vaz
Source: Museum Victoria
Ismail Colak and Gonul Taban
Image: Ana Vaz
Source: Museum Victoria
The Faridah family - Siti, Raihan, Fathiah, Fakhrun Nisa, Alfaqih, Alfarabi and Nur Fathima.
Image: Ana Vaz
Source: Museum Victoria
The video portraits and a DVD coming soon – so watch this space!
Comments (0)
7 October, 2010 15:42 by Kate
The Koorie Heritage Trust Inc Cultural Centre has an exhibition coming up of new works by artist Lisa Kennedy.
An image from Lisa Kennedy's body of work titled "The Earth Speaks"
Image: Lisa Kennedy
Source: Lisa Kennedy
There are over 60 watercolour and gouache paintings and a story created over 7 years. The fictional story is inspired by true events, dreams and ancestral promptings from the land where Lisa and her family live in South Gippsland. Lisa is descended from the Trawlwoolway people of North East Tasmania.
The exhibition also features a collaborative multimedia installation with Wiradjuri woman, Naretha Williams.
It sounds like a beautiful exhibition and a great way to learn about the land and culture where Lisa and her family are from.
The opening is next Thursday 14th October at 2pm sharp.
The Koorie Heritage Trust Inc.
295 King Street, Melbourne
For more information call the Koorie Heritage Trust Inc. on 03 8622 2600 or check out their website.
Comments (1)
29 September, 2010 14:11 by Kate
Are you a young person?
Do you have something to say about IDENTITY and BELONGING?
Well, FECCA wants to hear what you have to say …
Multicultural Youth Forum
When: Wed.13 October from 10.00am-4.00pm.
Where: The Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth Street Melbourne (opposite Queen Victoria Market)
It’s a FREE event and food will be provided. There is even a free ZUMBA workshop!
Topics to be discussed include:
- What makes an Aussie an Aussie?
- What does belonging mean to you?
- Are multicultural youth excluded?
So if you have something to say make sure you attend and speak up!
To register to attend the event, or for more information, contact Victoria Erlichster at victoria@fecca.org.au or (03) 9005 2351 by 4 October 2010.
The Forum is a FECCA Youth Committee Initiative. For more information about FECCA have a look at their website.
Comments (0)
28 September, 2010 09:41 by Kate
Last Thursday night I saw Hoa Pham's new play, I Could Be You, at Theatreworks in St Kilda.
I Could Be You is a very moving and beautifully complex portrayal of not just the issue of detention centres, but for me it also brings to light the question of what "citizenship" and “freedom” means to us all.
Each of the 4 characters brought a different perspective to the scenario: Shireen, an international student who finds herself in the detention centre after breaching her student visa; Con who considers himself Australian but is facing deportation to Greece, where he left as a baby; Huong, the Vietnamese-Australian woman who was once a refugee herself but is now a lawyer working pro-bono at the detention centre; and Ania, a shoeless blonde woman invisible to everyone but Shireen.
It's a beautifully written play, brought to life with some wonderful performances and stunning sound design.
I would encourage everyone to go see it, but for now I will leave you with this quote:
"The politics of indifference keeps the threat of thinking at bay…"
For more information and tickets go to the Melbourne Fringe Festival website.
And for anyone else who has been to see it - I would love to hear your thoughts.
Comments (4)
23 September, 2010 13:20 by Kate
'I’m invisible because you refuse to see me...'
There are a whole range of ways in which we can be made to feel invisible - cultural difference is just one.
To everyone who shared their experiences and entered the competition to win tickets to see Hoa Pham's latest play I Could Be You - a huge thank you for your contribution!
I am very happy to announce that Judy Bayliss is the winner!
Judy's wininng entry: While a WASP but now severerly disabled by MS I now relate 2 all minorities & can empathise with the voices I have heard in this informative video.
I Could Be You is showing from 23 Sept to 9 Oct at Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street St Kilda.
For more information check out the Melbourne Fringe Festival program.
Comments (1)
16 September, 2010 14:48 by Kate
Group photo of some of the members of the TD Pilot Team.
Image: Museum Victoria
Source: Museum Victoria
Last Saturday the TD Pilot Team learnt about stop motion animation. Using plasticine, paper cutouts and even themselves as props they set about to create a short animation which for them expressed themes about diversity.
Detailed shot of making props with plasticine and other objects and paper.
Image: Museum Victoria
Source: Museum Victoria
BlessAnn and Kate made this animation about some of the things they like - linked by what they have in common.
Law created this animated drawing of his homeland in Thailand.
Comments (2)
15 September, 2010 12:43 by Kate
Ana Vaz looking at the camera with camera in hand.
Image: Ana Vaz
Source: Ana Vaz
Since July, Ana has been busily working on her own Talking Difference project. She is working on a series of short social-documentary films with migrant families in and around Melbourne.
I caught up with her to see how her project is going.
What inspired you to do this project?
I strongly feel that the question of cultural identity and diversity is one of great pertinence not exclusive to Australia but one which is bound up with the overall condition of the migrant in a shifting world. This project is driven by a belief that it is only through promoting dialogue within and between diverse migrant communities that we can mature socially and culturally as a society.
As part of the project, you are going to create video family portraits. Can you tell me a little bit about where the idea came from?
I am inspired by the Enlightenment tradition of family portraits as a base for a more subversive use of the style through an inversion of the social lens, of its focus. For me, the family portrait speaks of a time, of the values of a specific time and the many identities that may populate this time. Through creating video family portraits of migrated families, my idea is that these portraits serve as testament to the time we live in, the shifting configuration of our social fabric.
What’s been your favourite part of the project so far?
Every part of this project has been a great learning for me as an artist, as a filmmaker and mostly as a human being. Though this project, I have been granted the opportunity to work closely with a number of thought-provoking, enthusiastic, complex and interesting people from a number of different backgrounds.
Through this process, I have been able to strongly empathize and better understand the lives and experiences of the many different migrant and refugee communities in Melbourne. I feel enthusiastic with the future possibilities of further engaging with the different communities I have had the honour to meet.
What next? Where to from here?
At this stage, I am finding participants for the project and liaising with community leaders who are helping me through this process. I feel strong and enthusiastic about the direction this project is taking.
Last weekend Ana set up her camera at a Ramadan Festival in Broadmeadows to start her series of family portraits.
Watch this space to see the results!
Comments (0)
8 September, 2010 15:21 by Kate
Cast from 'I Could Be You'
Image: Canada White
Source: Canada White
'I’m invisible because you refuse to see me...'
Shireen, an Indian international student is taken to a detention centre. She is visited by Huong, a Vietnamese-Australian lawyer, and the mysterious Ania. Shireen begins to hear voices and goes mad...Or does she?
Based on the history of the Maribrynong Detention Centre site, I Could Be You wonders about the state we are in.
Written by award winning playwright and author Hoa Pham (Silence).
Starring Diana Nguyen, Shalini Akhil, Shane Lee and Susan Doel.
Featuring an evocative soundscape by Simon Charles (Man Behind the Curtain, The Lost Living) I Could Be You is a visceral experience immersing the audience through a journey of madness and hope.
We have 2 FREE tickets to see the show on Saturday 25th September.
To enter, tell us in your own words about a time you felt invisible.
To submit your entry, use the Comments box below.
The winning entry will be selected by the playwright - Hoa Pham.
Winners announced via this blog and contacted directly. Competition closes midnight Wednesday 22 September 2010.
I Could Be You is showing from 23 Sept to 9 Oct at Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street St Kilda.
For more information check out the Melbourne Fringe Festival program.
Comments (9)
1 September, 2010 09:14 by Kate
The Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival returns to Bunjilaka Aboriginal Culture Centre with a unique selection of exciting, new Indigenous films.
Celebrating 11 years, the 2010 Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival exclusively showcases remarkable Indigenous storytelling through a variety of films about Indigenous culture.
Curated by award winning filmmakers Rachel Perkins and Darren Dale From Blackfella Films, Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival is the only festival in the country that is solely committed to presenting films made by Indigenous people, and all screenings are FREE.
So what are you waiting for ....
Check out the Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival 2010 program and get inspired.
Comments (0)
30 August, 2010 14:30 by Kate
After the 2nd Pilot Team workshop we asked the group to find a place that is important to them and create a short video recording about what makes that place significant to them.
Here are 2 of the responses …
Law recorded a video of himself playing music with his brother and sister. It’s a love song written by his sister, who appears offscreen in this video but you can hear her voice!
Kather describes a place he feels at home – in the shadows as the “Unidentified Personality”.
Watch this video with a transcript
So, where is your place?
Comments (2)
Comments (1)
26 August, 2010 12:20 by Kate
Visions of the West is an exhibition of photographs and thoughts about Melbourne’s western suburbs, through the eyes of young people connected to Footscray.
These powerful, moving and beautiful images show a side of the west that is rarely seen and express ideas about identity and diversity.
The exhibition is the result 8 photographic workshops The Western Young People’s Independent Network (WYPIN) ran with photographer Michael Chew for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. The project aimed to explore and capture what young people feel, hope and think about Footscray and surrounding suburbs.
Jawahir Alishiekh, who came to Australia in February this year from Sudan, wrote:
“Come to Footscray when you miss your country, you will find people from your country – you will feel at home.”
Law Eh moved here from Burma 2 ½ years ago. He wrote:
“People express their true emotion and character through fashion. What you wear is who you are?”
Belise Niyongabire who came to Australia from Burundi in 2005 says:
“Diversity makes everyone from everywhere feel like they belong.”
The Western Young People’s Independent Network (WYPIN) are a group of young people who are challenging racism and social issues in the community – and they are doing some amazing stuff so have a look at their website for more info.
The exhibition is on at Phoenix Youth Centre until 13 September so go check it out!
Phoenix Youth Centre – 72 Buckley Street, Footscray. Open weekdays from 9am to 5pm.
Comments (0)
6 July, 2010 09:37 by Kate
NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia in the first full week in July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
This year marks the 53rd year of NAIDOC celebrations and the theme is ‘Unsung Heroes: Closing the Gap by Leading Their Way’.
Bunjilaka is presenting a number of events to celebrate NAIDOC Week, including:
· From Little Things Big Things Grow: Fighting for Indigenous Rights1920-1970, an exhibition about Aboriginal activism in Australia.
· 20 Years: Bold. Black. Brilliant., an exhibition celebrating 20 years of the Ilbijerri Theatre Company.
· Jacky Jacky in the Box, a confronting performance art installation by Ilbijerri Theatre Company (Friday 9 to Sunday 11 July, 11am to 3pm).
· Milarri Garden and Forest Gallery cultural interpretation tours.
For more details on the program have a look at the Bunjilaka NAIDOC Week website.
Comments (0)
30 June, 2010 15:53 by Kate
In September, Melbourne documentary photographer Georgia Metaxas will be facilitating free photography workshops as part of The Babel Project, a project by the Jewish Museum of Australia.
The Babel Project is another one of the Vic Health funded projects which explores diversity and multiculturalism through the arts.
This challenging and thought-provoking community arts project will culminate in a multicultural multimedia exhibition of the participants’ photographs and voices. It will tour to the Jewish Museum of Australia in St Kilda, The Substation in Newport, the Cardinia Cultural Centre in Pakenham and the Hume Global Learning Centre in Broadmeadows.
To be eligible to participate in the workshops, you have to be over 18 years of age and live in one of the following areas: Cardinia Shire, City of Port Phillip, Hobsons Bay or Hume City Council.
Interested? Find out more here.
And to check out some of Georgia’s amazing photographic work have a look here. I particularly like the In Transit series.
Comments (0)
30 June, 2010 14:17 by Kate
The Emerge Festival is in full swing – and there is no shortage of amazing performances and unique cultural experiences encompassing music, dance, visual arts, exotic foods, ancient crafts and ceremonies happening all over Melbourne.
From Africa to the far East, from the traditional to the contemporary, from the emerging to the established, Emerge Festival is a dynamic celebration of Victoria’s many rich and undiscovered refugee and emerging cultures.
Presented by Multicultural Arts Victoria, the Emerge Festival commemorates United Nations World Refugee Day and celebrates Refugee Week in Australia.
Check out the full program here.
But some upcoming events to look out for are:
Burundian Drum Festival - Saturday 3 July 2-6pm @ Eolian Hall, 836 Lygon Street, Carlton
Burundian Drummers
Image: Damian Vincenzi
Source: Multicultural Arts Victoria
Emerge at the Drum - Saturday 17 July 12-4pm @ Drum Theatre, Dandenong Town Hall, 226 Lonsdale St, Dandenong.
Featuring artists like Angels Voices (Congo), Exodus (Sudan), Cook Islands Polynesian Dance Group, Afghan Atar Group, Sultan Miazoi (Afghanistan) and more it is set to be an afternoon of music, song, drum, dance, food, crafts, culture and ceremony from local refugee and new arrival communities.
Members of music group Exodus
Image: Damian Vincenzi
Source: Multicultural Arts Victoria
Comments (0)
22 June, 2010 16:07 by Kate
In my wanderings last Saturday, I found myself at the No Worries Festival at Atherton Gardens in Fitzroy. Staged by a Youth Advisory Group made up of young people from diverse cultural backgrounds in the Fitzroy area, it was a vibrant, eclectic mix of music, soccer, and information on the eve of Refugee Week.
They identified music and sport as the most dynamic ways to engage young people and help them connect with service providers, so the festival was born.
They were also launching the No Worries CD, a compilation of music being made by refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants in Melbourne. All up there are 10 tracks ranging from Sudanese hip-hop to West Papuan reggae, Sri Lankan electro to Ethio-Jazz, Congolese Seben to traditional Sudanese drumming.
The lyrical content ranges from joyous celebrations of being in Australia to the difficult life of the asylum seeker making his/her way here, the difficulties of trying to move in to one’s future without forgetting one’s dark history, rebel songs of liberation and freedom that would see the artists locked up in their home country, the difficulties of life on the streets for a new migrant and the way politics and the media are interpreted by them, and the sad reality of how one’s virtues are often the undoing of a person.
It’s a great compilation and a cool project. To find out more – and to listen to some of the tracks have a look here.
Comments (0)
17 June, 2010 15:46 by Kate
We have extended the deadline for expressions of interest until 30 June. Pilot Team member will also receive a FREE Flip Mino HD camera for participating in the program.
So, join the conversation about cultural diversity and difference and be part of the Talking Difference Pilot Team!
We are looking for 15 young Victorians from a diverse range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds to participate in our 5 FREE multimedia workshops.
The workshops will offer a basic introduction to filmmaking for the internet, including digital media skills as well as story design and development.
We will provide equipment, professional support and guidance to tell your story. You just need to bring yourself, your ideas, and a willingness to learn.
New Workshop Dates:
Sat 10 July
Sat 24 July
Sat 21 Aug
Sat 11 Sept
Sat 9 Oct
To register your interest contact David Henry on 03 9927 2740 or dahenry@museum.vic.gov.au.
To help us put together the team we want to know:
- Your name
- Your Age
- What suburb you live in
- A few words about you and why you want to take part in Talking Difference
Expressions of interest are open until 30 June but spaces are limited so get in quick!
Comments (0)
16 June, 2010 16:43 by Kate
Black Face, White Mask is a fast-paced drama/comedy that explores what it is to be Afro-Australian.
It’s an edgy show by Western Edge Youth Arts and the Flemington Theatre Group which will be showing on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 July at 7.30pm at the Incinerator Arts Complex, Moonee Ponds.
It’s FREE, so we encourage you to check it out. It’s the result of years of working with young artists around Flemington from African backgrounds and sure to be a show not to be missed!
For bookings and inquiries call 03 9362 0046.
Comments (0)
26 May, 2010 17:08 by Kate
Sitting with Ancestors is another great project by The Torch which is part of the VicHealth’s Arts About Us program – and it launches this Saturday in South Gippsland.
Sitting with Ancestors is a large scale regional sculpture project which links the stories of Australia’s Indigenous cultural heritage to the lifecycle of the Agnes River in South Gippsland. It’s a testament to the creative vision held by contemporary Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists living in Victoria and the power of community collaboration.
Artists and community members working on sculptures for Sitting with Ancestors
Image: The Torch
Source: The Torch
From May 3rd to 7th Torch Bearers Lisa Kennedy and Brian Watterson, and over 50 community volunteers worked tirelessly to realise their ambitious project concept. The idea was to create a meeting place at the Weetaboona Sanctuary site that was sensitive to the cultural and ecological significance of the location.
This intensive, community-led action resulted in sculptures being constructed by local volunteers, property owners, and participants from Wulgunggo Ngalu, as well as students from the Koorie Unit of Gippsland TAFE’s Morwell campus. All works were produced under the direction of dynamic sculptor and community artist Sioux Dolman. The wooden platypus viewing platform was built through a collaborative effort between the Agnes River Landcare group and the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority as part of a larger restoration plan to improve water flow and quality of the Agnes River through weed eradication and native plantings.
The artwork’s intent is to acknowledge that this is the traditional country of the Kut Wut people of the Brataualung who are one of five groups of the Gunai/Kurnai. The work also aims to generate awareness of the traditional custodians of the area whilst celebrating Gippsland’s diverse living Indigenous and non Indigenous cultures, through artistic collaboration.
Sculpture in progress
Image: Willem Van Cleef
Source: The Torch
The project will be launched at 2pm this Saturday 29th May, on the banks of the Agnes River. So if you are in South Gippsland (or heading in that direction for the weekend) and want to get involved head to Weetaboona Sanctuary, 145 Devil’s Pinch Rd, Toora North.
For more details visit The Torch Project
Comments (0)
26 May, 2010 15:05 by Kate
As well as supporting Talking Difference, VicHealth’s Arts About Us program has funded a range of innovative and creative projects which promote diversity through the arts like Calling the Shots.
Produced by Phunktional, Calling the Shots encourages young people to engage with one another and explores issues like bullying, drug use, depression, risk-taking behaviour, and relationships. Through the creation of art, the project encourages the creative self expression of marginalised voices.
Working in partnership with national health initiatives and local organisations Phunktional will create a health resource addressing these issues to be distributed within Australia and internationally.
To find out more go to Phunktional
Comments (0)
20 May, 2010 17:35 by Kate
Last night I attended the opening of Silence at La Mama’s Carlton Courthouse. It’s a very moving story about 3 generations of Vietnamese-Australian women coming to terms with the events of the past.
Silence, by Hoa Pham, is on at La Mama's Carlton Courthouse.
Image: Ross Calia
Source: La Mama
Congratulations to everyone involved – I loved it! The performances were fantastic – and the set design, sound and puppetry really brought the story to life.
After the performance, they ran a forum with members of the audience which included several high school students who are studying the play. It was a great way to get a deeper insight into the production and learn more from the cast and crew.
I really enjoyed hearing playwright, Hoa Pham, talk about the significance of the story for her. Earlier Hoa Pham wrote:
I wish to address the issue of women’s silence in the Vietnamese-Australian community and interviewed six women aged from 25-65 in 2007. I was deeply moved by their stories...
I too was deeply moved by their stories.
Silence is on at La Mama’s Carlton Courthouse until 6 June. For more information and to book tickets visit La Mama.
Comments (0)
19 May, 2010 13:10 by Kate
Tonight the Talking Difference team will be recording a student forum after Hoa Pham's play Silence at La Mama's Carlton Courthouse.
The play is about the lives of three Vietnamese-Australian women who, reunited by a dealth anniversary, have to deal with family secrets and the spirits that haunt them from within.
After watching the play, students will participate in a focused discussion around the themes of this challenging play.
Our recording of the forum, along with images and a synopsis of the play, will be available online as part of Talking Difference.
Watch this space for more details and check out the play at La Mama.
Comments (1)
12 May, 2010 10:33 by Kate
After a fantastic start to Talking Difference with the first Community Consultation in March, we will be kicking off a series of 5 monthly Media Production Workshops in June.
We will be inviting applications soon to be part of the Pilot Team. Spaces are limited, so watch this space for more info!
Comments (2)