Identity Blog

On Monday 9^th May, important guests including many whose stories appear in the exhibition, gathered to celebrate the official launch of Identity: yours, mine, ours.

Guests gather for the launch in the Long Room, Immigration Museum
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

The event was MC’d by Aamer Rahman, one half of the comedy duo Fear of a Brown Planet, and he ably set up the evening with his witty introduction, managing to joke  about topics as diverse as  being a grown man moving back into his parents’ house, to racist media coverage.

Aamer had the guests in stitches
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

Padmini Sebastian, Manager of the Immigration Museum and Dr Patrick Greene, CEO of Museum Victoria then gave warm welcoming speeches and introduced  the next two VIP speakers: Harry O’Brien, Collingwood football legend (and a star of our multimedia piece ‘Standing Up’), and the Hon. Nicholas Kotsiras, Victorian State Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship.

Harry’s speech about his own struggle to belong in unfamiliar environments, and his decision to embrace diversity and champion individual uniqueness, was heartfelt and very moving, prompting an audience ovation. He’s a true star! We also appreciated his warm praise of the exhibition which he described as ‘outstanding’!

Collingwood great Harry O'Brien at the IYMO launch
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

The Minister was able to follow up with his own moving and often humorous take on his personal journey to belonging.

The Hon Nicholas Kotsiras, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, at the IYMO launch.
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

The Long Room was buzzing by the time we all got upstairs to wander through the exhibition. The reaction from our guests made all the hard work truly worthwhile. What a great evening, thanks to everyone who helped organise it, and who came to support this exhibition.

Guests enjoy the official launch of Identity: yours, mine, ours.
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

Guests admire the feature multimedia of the first gallery in Identity: yours, mine, ours
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

It's been very exciting to work with the crew from CLEAR Communications on developing the identity for Identity! In consultation with the Museum, they have come up with the tag "I Belong: do you?" and the associated images. Here are some photos as they roll out the marketing and communication plan - daring and provocative, just like the exhibition!

The exhibition 'poster boy', Avi Singh, has a story in the exhibition as well as appearing in our marketing campaign.
Image: courtesy Clear Communications
Source: courtesy Clear Communications

Posters in North Richmond
Image: courtesy Clear Communications
Source: courtesy Clear Communications

CLEAR and the Museum’s fab PR and Marketing team worked with photographer Scottie Cameron to take beautiful images of the people of Melbourne- reflecting the diversity of our community. You can check out the results on our flicker page:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/identity_im

A scene from the play ‘Student Body', performed by BOObook Theatre
Image: BOObook Theatre
Source: BOObook Theatre  

A couple of weeks ago I went to see ‘Student Body',  a play about the lives of international students in Melbourne which was performed at the Union House Theatre at the University of Melbourne.

Inspired by interviews from International students and their service providers in Melbourne and Sydney in 2007, playwright Alana Valentine explores the experiences of four students in Melbourne: Chai from China, Aditya from India, Fon from Thailand, and Song Ye from Malaysia. Academic journeys are paralleled by life’s lessons on love and relationships. Racism, prejudice and the controversy surrounding attacks on international students in Melbourne during 2008 are also confronted with brutal consequences.

The play is an honest portrayal of what it feels like to be exploited by the education system and confused by university bureaucracy as well as verbally and physically vilified for coming from somewhere else. Valentine uses the mythology of Chinese dragons to examine the hopes and dreams of the students, enabling each of them to explore and defeat their fears. 

The play was presented by BOObook Theatre and starred Keith Brockett, Sheena Reyes, Ash Kakkar, Rachel Fong and Kelly Ryan. 

We are calling on the faces of Melbourne join us on Little Collins Street Thursday 31 March or Friday 1 April (its no joke) to be a part of the I Belong do you? photo-shoot.

You don’t have to be model material – in fact we prefer it if you’re not.  We are capturing the faces of Melbourne to promote the forthcoming exhibition Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours.

Photos will become part of a collection that represent Melbourne’s identity. Images will be placed on our group on Flickr and some will be used in the campaign promoting the exhibition. 

Look out for the photographer in the bright yellow T Shirt, he thinks he belongs ... do you?  

When: Thursday 31st March & Friday 1st April 2011

What time: 11am to 2pm (your photo will only take 5 minutes or so)

Where: Little Collins Street (between Swanston & Elizabeth Streets)

What to bring: Bring yourself, your friends and download and sign this release 

AFL Premium plates
Source: Vic Roads  

In the exhibition, we are looking at different ways people find a sense of belonging.  In Victoria, AFL in a great example which brings people from all walks of life together and creates a sense of belonging.

With the 2011 AFL Season kicking off yesterday, once again people on the streets are showing their colours.

Moya pointed out an interesting article in The Age last weekend (20 March 2011) about how AFL football is about to take over television in Melbourne.

Melinda Houston wrote:

Call it a community, call it a tribe, call it an obsession. In a society that’s increasingly fractured, footy brings us together. Riding the train to and from Richmond station you make eye contact with other passengers wearing your team’s colours. You strike up conversations with strangers. At home in front of the box you know that hundreds of thousands of other people like you are leaping out of their chairs – or sinking abjectly into them –  with every freakish mark or fluffed disposal. Being an Aussie Rules fan means never being alone.

What about you.  What's your club?  What colours will you be wearing this weekend?

Portrait of Harry O'Brien, Melbourne, March 2011
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

Recently we were lucky enough to interview Collingwood footballer Harry O’ Brien for the exhibition. As well as being one of last year’s premiership team’s key players, Harry is also well known for his lively and thought-provoking blog where he reflects on many of the issues we are exploring in our exhibition.

We filmed in one of Melbourne’s atmospheric laneways, dodging rain, delivery vans and scores of passing school students, many keen for a photo with Harry!

Harry O'Brien is interviewed for the Identity exhibition, Melbourne, March 2011
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

Harry gave us insights both into his own life and his thoughts on identity, standing up for diversity, and the importance of looking beyond the surface to understand and respect ourselves and others.

‘When you actually sit down and interact with someone and you go past those barriers, you find that you have so much in common with them. And I think that’s one thing I’ve always understood, that no matter how different things may appear on the surface, the surface isn’t the whole story. When you dig a bit deeper you actually find out there’s so much more in common.’

Come and look out for clips from our interview with Harry when the exhibition opens in May.  For now, here are some shots from the interview.

Harry O'Brien is interviewed for the Identity exhibition, Melbourne, March 2011
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

Harry O'Brien is interviewed for the Identity exhibition, Melbourne, March 2011
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria