SPECIAL EVENTS ARCHIVE
NATIONAL MULTICULTURAL ARTS SYMPOSIUM 2010 -
Diversity in the Arts: Theory + Action
19-21 May 2010
The Diversity in the Arts: Theory + Action symposium provides a significant opportunity to draw on the experience of experts from across Australia who are actively engaged in the production, presentation, research and promotion of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) arts. The symposium includes an exhibition, performances and a full-day forum involving discussion panels and a keynote address by Lyndon Terracini, Artistic Director of Opera Australia. Discussion topics include:
- Programming CALD Arts
- Multiculturalism: perspectives from the past
- National Perspectives: how is cultural diversity driving contemporary arts practice?
- Cultural Innovation & Leadership: shaping CALD arts towards 2020
The Diversity in the Arts: Theory + Action symposium will: explore a theoretical context for emerging cultural practices within an international framework; identify key emerging trends, artists and advocates; connect participants; set benchmarks for CALD arts; and contribute to a national debate on the future of Australian cultural identity.
PROGRAM:
Wednesday 19 May 2010:
4.30pm: Tolais cooking demonstration / workshop at Nexus Gallery: Lisa Hilli and her mother Cathy Hilli will guide and demonstrate a celebratory feast melding Australian and Papua New Guinean cultures, where members of the public can participate in the preparation, cooking and eating of I gir, a traditional Tolais vegetable and chicken dish cooked in banana leaves.
6-8pm: Just Like Home by Lisa Hilli - exhibition opening at Nexus Gallery: Part exhibition, part meal, film and biography, Just Like Home explores artist Lisa Hilli's New Guinean and Australian heritage. Just Like Home celebrates the continuation of Tolais cooking traditions (unique to the people of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea) with an Aussie twist. With one simple meal, Lisa Hilli highlights issues of assimilation and cultural adaption.
The video documentary Just Like Home follows Lisa's mother, Cathy, as she adapts a specific Tolais culinary practice to suit her adopted Brisbane home, using tin foil instead of banana leaves during the cooking process. At Nexus Gallery, Lisa Hilli's video will screen under the shade of her life-sized banana tree sculptures constructed entirely of tin foil.
Lisa Hilli's 2010 touring exhibition is supported by Multicultural Arts Victoria (a Kultour Company Member) and Kultour, an initiative of the Australia Council. The touring exhibition has been developed in partnership with Nexus Multicultural Arts (a Kultour Company Member).
8pm: Monkey Puzzle Tree - performance at Nexus Cabaret: Monkey Puzzle Tree is a dynamic local ensemble that recently performed at WOMADelaide 2010, playing its trademark original post-romantic music. Ethereal melodies mingle with striking rhythms to create a soundscape that is rich, capricious and complex.
Thursday 20 May 2010:
8pm: WHO'S THAT CHIK? by Candy Bowers - performance at Nexus Cabaret: WHO'S THAT CHIK? brings the urban hip hop experience to Nexus Cabaret. The true story of performer Candy Bowers - raised in western Sydney by a South African mother and Zimbabwean father - WHO'S THAT CHIK? combines hot beats and fiery rhymes with comedy, Broadway and classic storytelling. By using hip hop, video and pop culture references in her show, Candy Bowers reaches out to new, younger and marginalised audiences, bridging cultural and theatrical divides. "She has charmed audiences across Australia with a blend of rapping, dancing and hilarious jokes." Sydney Morning Herald
Winner, Best Performance Award, Melbourne Fringe 2009
Candy Bowers' 2010 tour of WHO'S THAT CHIK? is supported by Footscray Community Arts Centre (a Kultour Company Member) and Kultour, an initiative of the Australia Council. The tour has been developed in partnership with Nexus Multicultural Arts (a Kultour Company Member).
Friday 21 May 2010:
FULL DAY Diversity in the Arts: Theory + Action FORUM at Nexus Cabaret
10-11am: Keynote address: PROGRAMMING CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE ARTS
LYNDON TERRACINI - Multicultural Magic in the Land of Oz... What are the implications in the 21st Century?
11.15am-12.30pm: Session One: MULTICULTURALISM: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE PAST
1.45-3pm: Session Two: NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES: HOW IS CULTURAL DIVERSITY DRIVING CONTEMPORARY ARTS PRACTICE?
3.15-4pm: Session Three: CULTURAL INNOVATION + LEADERSHIP: SHAPING CULTURALLY DIVERSE ARTS TOWARDS 2020
8pm: Akoustic Odyssey - performance and after party at Nexus Cabaret: Akoustic Odyssey is Adelaide's most innovative seven-piece instrumental act. Its rich and eclectic tapestry of world music is a feast for the soul! With an original blend of instruments and musical flavours, Akoustic Odyssey will take you on a journey through rock, baroque, Latin, jazz, funk, Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern music. "Their sound is unique and their energy is infectious" Jan Foreman, Infolkus
Download the full National Multicultural Arts Symposium 2010 here.
The Islamic Spectrum in Australia
29-31 July 2009
A very special series of events exploring the many faces of Islamic culture in Australia: art, architecture, food, religion, history and music.
· One day public forum
· Music of the Silk Road concert
· One day youth forum
· Islamic youth exhibition
· The Brothahood hip hop concert
ISLAM IN AUSTRALIA - building cultural bridges to the Muslim world
Wednesday 29th July
A one-day symposium on focus on the cultural aspects of Islam in Australia, with speakers on art, architecture, food, religion, history and music, who will explore the affirmative influences of contemporary Islamic culture in Australia. Covering historical, religious and cultural impacts through to the fascinating nature of Islamic arts, this seminar will provide an insightful set of observations to those who attend and supports our national commitment to intercultural understanding and respect.
Available downloads
Complete Symposium Program
Opening Address (The Premier of South Australia, the Hon. Mike Rann MP)
Welcome Address (Dr Noris Ioannou, Executive Director, Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre)
Keynote Address (Mr Ikebal Adam Patel, President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils)
Biographies and Abstracts of all speakers:
· Dr Ameer Ali: Do Muslims Laugh?
· Janine Evans: 2 Veil or Not 2 Veil: the Australian Muslim Identity
· Bahariah Mahmud: Muslim Food Practices
· Philip Griffin: Islamic Music
· Kuranda Seyit: Normalising Islam
· Assoc Prof Samer Akkach: Islamic Art: Form And Meaning
· Dr Katharine Bartsch: Australia's Muslim Pioneers, Their Mosques And Their Legacy
A traditional Halal lunch with a tasting of the flavours of Islamic/Muslim food and refreshments throughout the Symposium day are included in the modest registration fee.
ISLAM IN AUSTRALIA - youth forum
Friday 31st July
This full day forum is designed for younger audiences with interactive workshops on Islamic music, food, & art.
MUSIC OF THE SILK ROAD
Thursday 30th July
Join us for a timeless musical journey to the heart and soul of music that crosses from Europe to Asia.
The magical music of this region winds and turns through soaring mountains and majestic plains, past grand ancient cities and desert oasis. From Sufi mystic songs with their ambient and hypnotic resonance through to rhythmic folk songs of the Afghan & Punjab towns. A beautiful blend of heart melting vocals spine tingling instrumentals and mind-bending rhythms embellished with masterful improvisations.
THE BROTHAHOOD (Melbourne)
Friday 31st July & Sat 1st August
Australia's renowned Muslim hip-hop group, The Brothahood's gritty sonic landscapes represent a growing global music movement that has created a stir from the streets of London, New York, Paris & Tehran.
These five young Australian rappers use hip-hop as a tool to smash down stereotypes and misconceptions of 'Muslims in the West', creating a whole new theme to the Australian hip-hop scene whilst maintaining hip-hop's core essence: taught and intelligent rhymes and production skills that are sharp and always on point. The Brothahood's message of inclusion and self empowerment have struck a chord with not only the hip hop community but also the greater Australian society.
Both dates are alcohol free events.
ISLAMIC SPECTRUM EXHIBITION
30 July to 4 September
An exhibition by secondary students from the Islamic College of South Australia, featuring works inspired by Adelaide born artist Jeffrey Smart, personal interpretations of multiculturalism and the cycles of nature. To be opened by Mr Ikebal Adam Patel, President, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.
This project has been proudly supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship through the National Action Plan. For more information visit www.immi.gov.au/nap
Art & Life: 25 Years Of Storytelling At Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre
25 May 2009
A quarter of a century of challenge has seen Nexus affirm its role as the sole multicultural arts organisation in SA. Join artists, performers, members and other community participants from Nexus' past in a gala launch of the NEXUS ORAL HISTORY PROJECT.
This will be an enjoyable informal social/cultural evening with refreshments, display of art and posters from 25 years of Nexus and a celebrity panel discussion facilitated by Executive Director, Dr Noris Ioannou with special guests including:
· Esther Piliotis (Nexus volunteer oral historian)
· Patricia Summerling (Professional historian & author)
· Mirna Heruc (past Chair and CEO of Nexus)
· Adam Dutkiewicz (Witer, publisher & Nexus Writer-in-residence)
· Siamak Fallah (Artist)
Part of South Australian History Week 2009.
Adelaide Ink 2: Tattoo Show & Tell Session
12 March 2009
Hugely popular at Fringe 2008, this is your chance to show off your most permanent and personal art collection. Make sure you arrive early to sign up and see/hear everyone else! Stay on for ink art of a different nature when our Comic Culture exhibition opens immediately afterwards.
Food + Faith: Abraham's Supper
19 Febraury 2009
Nexus presents a very special evening of dialogue, food and music, with a focus on the Patriarch of three major world religions. Listen and discuss with our guest speakers then join us for a delicious multifaith supper. Hosted by Tony Love, Food Wine Editor, The Advertiser, with guest speakers:
Iman Afroz Ali, Founder President, Al-Ghazzali Centre for Islamic Sciences Human Development (Sydney)
Rabbi Gutnick, Adelaide Hebrew Congregation
Geraldine Hawkes, Executive Officer, SA Council of Churches
Read The Advertiser's recent article on the Food + Faith forum here
2008 Nexus Writer-in-Residence
Dr Adam Dutkiewicz
Well-known Adelaide-based arts writer and historian, Dr Adam Dutkiewicz will be writer in residence at Nexus from late September to December 2008. Adam spend this period researching and preparing materials for an exhibition at Nexus in late 2009 focusing on 'first wave' migrant artists arriving in South Australiain the 1940s and 1950s. Adam has already published a number of books on artists from this period and has a personal interst as central figures in this group include Wladyslaw and Ludwik Dutkiewicz, Adam 's father and uncle!
Australian Youth Forum Launch
2 October 2008
The Hon Kate Ellis MP, Minister for Youth, launched the Australian Youth Forum (AYF) at Nexus on 2 October, 2008. The AYF is the Australian Government's new initiative aimed at engaging young people and the youth sector in ongoing public discussion and facilitating their input into policy and decision making on issues that affect their lives.
Blue Light Disco
6th December 2007
Together with the Department for Families and Communities – Refugee Services and accredited Blue Light volunteers, Nexus presented this free event for young refugess and friends.
Tram Extension Launch & Open Day
14th October 2007
The Islamic Spectrum in Australia
Building cultural bridges through understanding
1st May 2008
A symposium on Islamic culture: art, architecture, food, religion, history and music Co-presented by NEXUS Multicultural Arts Centre and The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, UniSA
Venues:UniSA City West campus, Hawke Building level 5, Bradley Forum
and NEXUS Multicultural Arts Centre, Cnr North Terrace and Morphett Street, Adelaide
This day public forum invites understanding of Islamic culture in Australia across a spectrum of special topics.
Distinguished speakers will extend our knowledge as well as thinking on the positive influences of contemporary Islamic culture in Australia. From an appreciation of historical, religious and cultural impacts through to the fascinating nature of Islamic arts, this seminar will provide an insightful set of observations to those who attend and supports our national commitment to intercultural understanding and respect.
A traditional Halal lunch and refreshments throughout the day are included in registration fee.
