Tim Cole

Uniting Indigenous voices across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, in music and film.



Ever walked into an idea which is so inspiring, so timely, probably impossible, yet so, so unshakable,
"I might just have the contacts and skills to pull this off" You know that feeling?

Yes I am here sharing such an idea, but only a fraction of the achievement which inspired it.


5,000 years back, a group stood by the first ocean going outriggers facing a vast open ocean, confident their design and navigation would lead them to new worlds, they didn't just reach The Philippines, they crossed the worlds largest Oceans settling as far as Madagascar on the western rim of the Indian Ocean to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) on the far eastern reaches of the Pacific. 

They now call themselves Maori, Indonesian, Malaysian, Filipino, the Melanesian, Micronesian & Polynesian people of the Pacific the Malagasy people of Madagascar, the indigenous Taiwanese and Australia's Torres Strait Islanders. They are in fact one of the world’s great civilisations, 250 million strong, the 8th most spoken language in the world, spread over half the half the earths surface with a heritage of over 5,000 years. Yet as an Australian I had no idea of this heritage until recently.


  

I asked a SIBS artist and friend of mine, Yoyo Tuki, from Rapa Rui (Easter Island),

How do you say "eyes", in Rapa Nui?    "Mata", he answered.

That's the same word of sixteen tribes in Taiwan, eighteen ethic groups in Madagascar, and 25 millions people across Indian and Pacific oceans. There are also musical connections throughout out the region, a bamboo string instrument in Madagascar called "valiha", which can be traced back to Indonesia, The Philippines, and Taiwan, amongst a collection of others we'll be seeking out.



I imagined a music and film project uniting musicians and grass root communities across that vast region, recorded and filmed in their powerful natural environments resonant and amplifying their song, uniting that ancient tribe across vast distances and time, political and national borders, language differences and prejudices. A process to discover cultural connections and an international platform to voice common concerns. 

Small Island, Big Song - Featured Musicians

Small Island, Big Song - Field Recording Itinerary

Small Island, Big Song - Rewards

We set the goal based on the minimum amount we need to make this project possible, and the funds we raised in this campaign is specifically to pay the Musicians we will be collaborating with and to compensate the communities & villages we will be working and staying with. 


It will cover 
- a standard fee for the sessions paid equally for all artists regardless of whether they are from a so called first or third world country,
- pay for their accommodation, transport and living expenses when we are out on location,
- when we are in the villages, your support will buy a practical gift for the community, (cooking gear, farming tools, etc)
- cover food and transport for group song sessions

Our other funding has come from philanthropic organisations, 
- a Churchill Fellowship covering the airfares and living expenses.
- an an Potter Cultural Trust grant has paid for film mentorship including recording sessions with artists in Indonesia.
- an Asialink Artist residency which will cover the post production cost.

SIBS eLetter - We love sharing our journey, although there're many unknowns on the road, like wifi and electricity. That's why we can't guarantee all the newsletters will arrive on the same date every month, but we're sure we can manage to publish once a month. 

Post Production - Fortunately, we have two months residency, mid Oct to Dec, in Taipei, supported by Asialink. We'll throw our whole energy into making this album and visual clips, but for an album aiming at Grammy Award level, an Album which can stand proud both in it's quality and cultural integrity, that will take a little longer. (), Please allowed another 2 ~3 months for the post production time, as you can see the CD deliver time is March 2017.