The Happiness Project

Kickstart Arts is working in partnership with health & education services & local councils in 5 Tasmanian communities. Our arts team includes professional creative producers, writers, film makers, technologists and designer/builders. The team is leading several groups of young people and their networks on a series of creative processes of inquiry, exploring what leads to genuine happiness on a personal and community level. Artists and participants are working hand in hand to make a seriesof short films that express their ideas . The team are also working with community to create a purpose built, self powered “eco-cinema” or The Happiness Pod, to screen the films in and tour around Tasmania. Without the need to be powered by electricity from the grid, The Happiness Pod will be able to set up anywhere. Starting with a launch and 4 day screening at Agfest 2012, The Happiness Project films will go on to tour Tasmania presenting young peoples stories, dreams and ideas about happiness.

Spit Fire Hip Hop Workshops

Following on from our Power Hip Hop project (2008-2010), four emerging (former Power Hip Hop) artists will be mentored to learn to become teaching artists leading workshops with young people. The emerging artists will perform and conduct workshops with young people in the Huon Valley encouraging local young hip hop enthusiasts to develop their own computer based music and lyric writing practice.  Young musicians and writers will be able to make connections with other like minded young people via the Spit Fire website. This curated website will be a place where young musicians can share beats, verses and ideas as well as receive feedback on their work.

 

 

Claiming Culture Stage 1: Commissioning the ‘Dancing Free’ Report

At the invitation of Aboriginal Elder Jim Everett and with the blessing of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC), Karadi Aboriginal Women’s health service and The Cape Barren Island administration, award winning writer and historian James Boyce will research historical records for all traces of descriptive writing about traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal dances and music and compile a report that can then be used as a resource for the community re-development of some of the dances. Currently in Tasmania there is no living person who knows or has danced the traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal dances. In the absence of knowledge about their own heritage dances, dancers are relying on traditional dances from Queensland. There is a strong hope amongst local dancers that through this project Tasmanian Aborigines be enabled to re-claim an important aspect of their culture.

A Rush of Blood

What makes your heart race? What do you care about desperately? What do you dream of? What or who would you fight or die for? What causes you to have a RUSH OF BLOOD? A Rush of Blood will be an intergenerational community arts project where experienced community arts practitioners will lead a group of older Finders Island residents and young people to create video art works that explore the central question …What gives you a rush of blood? It might be a beautiful or significant place, the memory of a first kiss, or even an embarrassing situation. A Rush of Blood will be an exhibition of high quality contemporary video art works made through genuine collaborations between professional artists and Flinders Island residents inspired by personal stories of local people.