Mkono kwa Mkono

mkono kwa mkono

Mkono kwa Mkono means ‘hand in hand’ in Swahili. Kickstart Arts is planning a community collaborative dance & music project produced in partner ship by Kickstart Arts (KSA) & the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO) with participation from six regional high schools. A group of young former refugee African–Tasmanians will work with Elder East African dancers to learn dances for performance based on traditional East African Dance styles. The project will be a celebration of East African dance & music, featuring a one hour concert of traditional & new dances with musical works specially orchestrated & performed by the TSO. East African music is well suited for transcription & arrangement for a symphony orchestra.

Outcomes

* A group of young former refugees will make connections with like-minded people & develop friendships.

* A group of young former refugees will develop a stronger sense of belonging, raised self-esteem & community pride.

* Cultural awareness, respect & understanding between East African & non-East African people in Tasmania will be improved.

* The TSO will increase their understanding & ability in working in CCD.

Angels of Our Better Nature

angels of our better nature

This is a follow on from our Headstart project in 2009 & Portraits of Invisible People exhibition in 2010.

KSA in partnership with Headway will work with a group of people with Acquired Brain Injury to create a funky digital booth for exhibiting stories in public gathering & waiting places (banks, doctors waiting rooms etc). The stories shown through the booth will be in the form of text, audio art & visual artworks that explore the nature of mind, parenthood, childhood, love & connection. This digital installation art object with audio, text & image display capabilities will be placed in public spaces such as Service Tasmania, health insurance offices, hotel foyers, banks etc. It will allow a broad audience to engage & interact with it. Project participants with an acquired brain injury (ABI), their parents/carers & partners will collaborate to make art about their experiences of care. Being in long-term relationships involving high-level care for another has taken them into emotional & spiritual territory most rarely encounter. People with ABI suffer dually from having a disability. They were not born with disabilities & must come to terms with accepting the realities associated with a major traumatic incident that has changed their lives forever.

Outcomes

* Increase the overall sense of well-being & confidence of a group of people with acquired brain injury through providing an opportunity to contribute to the community by creating new works for a broad audience.

* Challenge stereotyped perceptions of people with acquired brain injury.

* Raise awareness about acquired brain injury.

Who Cares?

Theatre project, creative development. A theatre making project where young people who are wards of the State, Foster Carers & Child Protection workers will collaborate with professional theatre artists to make a play that explores experiences of caring & being cared for.This early creative development phase will be about developing working relationships & a safe environment for story and ideas sharing . Kickstart artists will use storytelling, photography, video, drawing, music, movement & theatre to help participants determine what story they want to tell. A first draft script for a play will be built as a basis to work from to develop further drafts leading to a production in 2013.

Outcomes

* Raise awareness of the work done by foster carers and child protection workers in the Tasmanian community.

* Counter negative stereotypes associated with children in out of home care.

* Celebrate the kindness of foster carers who provide safe nurture in Tasmania.

* Provide a voice for young people in care so they can tell their own story to the broader community – building a bridge of understanding & raising self esteem for participants in the process.

* Develop the creative capacity & skills of a group of foster carers, child protection workers & children in out of home care

Claiming Culture Stage 2: Community Consultation

Claiming Culture

In 2011, Kickstart Arts commissioned a research report by historian James Boyce, titled “Dancing Free”. The report contains historical evidence of traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal dances, music & songs that are no longer part of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community’s living culture. Young Tasmanian Aborigines currently use Queensland dances taught by a Queensland Aboriginal man some years ago. In 2012, Kickstart Arts will assist Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder Jim Everrett to coordinate a consultation process where Tasmanian Aboriginal elders, community members, dancers, musicians & song-people will explore the contents of Dancing Free to construct a culturally appropriate process whereby the community can create contemporary versions of the dances & music in a creative development process the following year.

Outcomes

* Build strong supportive links & between Aboriginal & non-Aboriginal people.

* Increase awareness of cultural arts in the Tasmanian Aboriginal community & its role as a social & emotional well-being tool in Aboriginal community development.

* Create new pathways to employment & education for Aboriginal people through the performing arts.

* Lay foundations for developing a set of dances that Tasmanian Aborigines broadly accept as representative of Tasmanian Aboriginal culture so they can take part in dance festivals & events.