Nameless The Land Her Names
A$720
of $2,100 targetyrs ago
Closed on 30th Sep 2012 at 2:00AM.
Nameless The Land Her Names is a performance-targeted project about our
relationships with the land we live on. Aboriginal Language/Culture
reclamation is understood as crucial to opening the link to (re)connecting all of us with the histories
of those relationships.
Watch http://www.facebook.com/NamelessTheLand for updates to the project.
The Process
Local residents research Aboriginal place names, with the assistance of Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, consider their own relationships to the Land, and workshop an evolving soundscape of chant and instrumental effects, to join in performance with Aboriginal and other artists personally involved in Language/Culture revival. Prepared electronic elements surround the audience, representing the Earth and the Ancestral presence on the Land.
The Performance
Nameless The Land Her Names has four interweaving layers that evoke cultural relationships with this Land seen through placenaming, and the movements between these layers made possible through Language reclamation. The audience is symbolically involved in the event, by their placement within the soundscape, and by local performers in amongst them.
Starting and ending with the always-never changing Earth herself, the work moves through contemporary mainstream naming with its mapping of the Land and search for Place, through the emergent weaving of old and new Songs of the Land in Language reclamation, and the half-dreamed Breath and Heartbeat of the most ancient naming.
The performance will be on October 13th as part of Ballan Feast, an annual arts day produced by Miranda Brockman (Trio Anima Mundi).
The People
Guest artists personally involved in language/culture reclamation. These artists bring to the work their experience of language/culture reclamation in their art and lives. Their role in the performance is to weave a symbolic music of old and new songs of the Land . The project needs a minimum of 3 in this Layer; currently I have interest from 5 artists, including Ron Murray and Sarah James <kinja.com.au>, Mandy Thomas, and Vicki Couzens <http://www.arts.vic.gov.au/Arts_in_Victoria/Indigenous_Art_in_Victoria/Vicki_Couzens>.
Community participants from the local area. The project is realised in a specific region, to allow both participants and audience to engage with relationships with the Land they live on. These participants need have no prior experience of performing; they workshop ideas and skills for chanting and playing conventional and found-object instruments in the weeks leading up to the performance. 19 people have offered to be involved, from pockets of the local community including a Tai Chi class, a Men's Group, a choral society and students.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners. Protocols of language reclamation in Victoria are that any use of the Language must be with the support of its custodians. This is because the point of language reclamation is for Aboriginal peoples to reclaim identity, culture, and their control over their own business. In addition, because the languages are not currently fully spoken, details about pronunciation, meaning, spelling etc. can only be finalised through research and informed decision-making by its heritage community. I am currently working with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners on place names. A Wadawurrung TO will welcome us all to their Country on performance day.
Others involved. The project relies heavily on the efforts of a number of non-performers: ToK Norris <www.tokwerx.com> is the studio engineer/artist creating the Ancient Earth music. Wyrda is providing House management, lighting, and catering for workshops and performance. Sarah Peckham did the digital artwork representing the concept and Layers of the work. Miranda Brockman is the artistic director of Feast and invited me to put on Nameless The Land Her Names at this event. The Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages has offered their formal support, including access to research materials.
Christina Eira. I am the composer of this work, and I run the workshops and act as artistic director and conductor for the performance. See profile for more details about me!
The Budget
This Pozible site is targeted only to payment to three Aboriginal artists. These people are crucial as they bring both their performance skills and the energy of their experience in language/culture reclamation. While the community participants are all volunteers, the project cannot go ahead without payment for these guest artists, partly because most of them are practising professional artists, and partly as a matter of respect given the nature of this work.
The minimum fee for a performing artist is $50 per hour (minimum 3 hr engagement). The artists are requested to attend two rehearsals plus the performance. This also involves travel, which requires a petrol reimbursement. This gives a budget for three artists of $50 x 11 hrs total, plus $50 petrol reimbursement x 3 = $700 x 3 artists = $2100.
If the sponsorship goes over the budget amount, any excess will be put to the payments needed for Traditional Owner involvement.
Watch http://www.facebook.com/NamelessTheLand for updates to the project.
The Process
Local residents research Aboriginal place names, with the assistance of Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, consider their own relationships to the Land, and workshop an evolving soundscape of chant and instrumental effects, to join in performance with Aboriginal and other artists personally involved in Language/Culture revival. Prepared electronic elements surround the audience, representing the Earth and the Ancestral presence on the Land.
The Performance
Nameless The Land Her Names has four interweaving layers that evoke cultural relationships with this Land seen through placenaming, and the movements between these layers made possible through Language reclamation. The audience is symbolically involved in the event, by their placement within the soundscape, and by local performers in amongst them.
Starting and ending with the always-never changing Earth herself, the work moves through contemporary mainstream naming with its mapping of the Land and search for Place, through the emergent weaving of old and new Songs of the Land in Language reclamation, and the half-dreamed Breath and Heartbeat of the most ancient naming.
The performance will be on October 13th as part of Ballan Feast, an annual arts day produced by Miranda Brockman (Trio Anima Mundi).
The People
Guest artists personally involved in language/culture reclamation. These artists bring to the work their experience of language/culture reclamation in their art and lives. Their role in the performance is to weave a symbolic music of old and new songs of the Land . The project needs a minimum of 3 in this Layer; currently I have interest from 5 artists, including Ron Murray and Sarah James <kinja.com.au>, Mandy Thomas, and Vicki Couzens <http://www.arts.vic.gov.au/Arts_in_Victoria/Indigenous_Art_in_Victoria/Vicki_Couzens>.
Community participants from the local area. The project is realised in a specific region, to allow both participants and audience to engage with relationships with the Land they live on. These participants need have no prior experience of performing; they workshop ideas and skills for chanting and playing conventional and found-object instruments in the weeks leading up to the performance. 19 people have offered to be involved, from pockets of the local community including a Tai Chi class, a Men's Group, a choral society and students.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners. Protocols of language reclamation in Victoria are that any use of the Language must be with the support of its custodians. This is because the point of language reclamation is for Aboriginal peoples to reclaim identity, culture, and their control over their own business. In addition, because the languages are not currently fully spoken, details about pronunciation, meaning, spelling etc. can only be finalised through research and informed decision-making by its heritage community. I am currently working with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners on place names. A Wadawurrung TO will welcome us all to their Country on performance day.
Others involved. The project relies heavily on the efforts of a number of non-performers: ToK Norris <www.tokwerx.com> is the studio engineer/artist creating the Ancient Earth music. Wyrda is providing House management, lighting, and catering for workshops and performance. Sarah Peckham did the digital artwork representing the concept and Layers of the work. Miranda Brockman is the artistic director of Feast and invited me to put on Nameless The Land Her Names at this event. The Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages has offered their formal support, including access to research materials.
Christina Eira. I am the composer of this work, and I run the workshops and act as artistic director and conductor for the performance. See profile for more details about me!
The Budget
This Pozible site is targeted only to payment to three Aboriginal artists. These people are crucial as they bring both their performance skills and the energy of their experience in language/culture reclamation. While the community participants are all volunteers, the project cannot go ahead without payment for these guest artists, partly because most of them are practising professional artists, and partly as a matter of respect given the nature of this work.
The minimum fee for a performing artist is $50 per hour (minimum 3 hr engagement). The artists are requested to attend two rehearsals plus the performance. This also involves travel, which requires a petrol reimbursement. This gives a budget for three artists of $50 x 11 hrs total, plus $50 petrol reimbursement x 3 = $700 x 3 artists = $2100.
If the sponsorship goes over the budget amount, any excess will be put to the payments needed for Traditional Owner involvement.
Free ticket to the performance on October 13.
5 chosen / 5 available
Est. delivery is Oct 12