Kate

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?

There are 2 great opportunities to find out and even share what it means to you.

Promotional image for 'Phi and Me' - starting 30 March as part of the 2011 Comedy Festival
Image: Fi&D Productions
Source: Fi&D Productions  

Phi and Me is a new comedy play, debuting at the 2011 Comedy Festival.

Phi is a second generation Vietnamese Australian. Phi appears to be a typical Vietnamese boy, who studies hard to make his mother proud, but deep down inside all Phi ever wanted in life was to be a superstar.  

Adapted from Diana’s published Short Story – “5 ways to disappoint your Vietnamese Mother” , the Comedy play will be performed at the Guildford Lane Gallery.

Phi and Me highlights issues faced by second generation Vietnamese Australian families, including stereotyping and the adversities his mother faced as a refugee. From language barriers to getting through Australian customs, Phi shares funny stories about his dysfunctional relationship with his mum. 

The show runs from 30 March to 10 April.

To find out more and book tickets go to their website.
 

Also showing at Guildford Lane Gallery during the show will be an exhibition called, ‘Identity'.  (It's a popular topic!)  The exhibition explores the issues of ethnic cultural traditions that influence second generation Vietnamese women growing up in Australia.

Her Productions are calling out for submissions.  So if you are interested you have until the 11 March to get your submission ready.

What does the Ao Dai mean to you?  What is your identity?

Responding to these questions, artworks can be photography, poetry, painting, sculpture and words. Your work will be exhibited at the Guildford Lane Gallery during the performance of Phi and Me .  Works exhibited will also receive free tickets to Phi and Me .

Submissions are due by Friday 11th of March at 5pm.

For more information or to submit your work, contact Diana at diana@herproductions.org or call 0422 205 481.

We are showcasing a range of artists who are exploring their sense of identity through their art in the upcoming exhibition.  The exhibition includes works and interviews with a range of artists like photographer Bindi Cole, the comedy duo from Fear of a Brown Planet and poet Andy Jackson.  Stay tuned for a sneak peak of some the exhibition videos.

But in the meantime, if art is your thing, then you might also be interested in this exhibition at fortyfivedownstairs - also focusing on the idea of identity!

Identity at fortyfivedownstairs, is part of the Queer City program of the Midsummar Festival.  The exhibition looks at who we are, who we have been and where we are going.

"Birth", photograph by Matto Lucas
Image: Matto Lucas
Source: Matto Lucas

Featuring artwork by 9 different artists, the exhibition explores through a number of different mediums, how people see us both within our own communities and our surrounding ones.

It's on until this Saturday 5 Feb.  For more information have a look at the fortyfivedownstairs website.

Also coming up at fortyfivedownstairs, is a new Australian play called Café Scheherazade, which also dealing with ideas of identity and belonging.  Based on the best-selling 2001 novel by Arnold Zable, it is written by Therese Radic and directed by Bagryana Popov.

Revealing the poignant, and often humorous stories of its patrons, Café Scheherazade looks at the history of the Jewish diaspora and the journeys and stories of European refugees in Melbourne in the 1960s.

Special Earlybird tickets are available till Friday 4 Feb.  Go here for bookings.

If you have been to the Immigration Museum lately, and been up to visit the West Africa exhibition you may have noticed the large pink wall and wondered what is happening on the other side ...

Well, now that Station Pier has been de-installed, we are starting to install Identity: yours, mine, ours.

Here is a sneak peak of what is behind the pink wall ....

What is behind the pink wall?
Source: Museum Victoria  

Identity: yours, mine, ours - coming soon!
Source: Museum Victoria

Construction begins in the Identity exhibition space
Source: Museum Victoria

The "Belonging Wall" starts to take form.
Source: Museum Victoria

The faces are starting to appear in the gallery
Source: Museum Victoria