CREATIVITY MOVES | ISSUE #1
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Transcript of CREATIVITY MOVES | ISSUE #1
jan/feb/mar 2011Carriageworks
iDenTiTY + CULTUre
movesCreaTiviTY
14. resiDenT sTaLker4. jamie Dawson 8. CreaTiviTY moves
© 2011 CARRIAGEWORKSCarriageWorks seeks to engage the local community with inspiring, contemporary arts and culture in all its forms. CarriageWorks’ program of events is
supported by NSW State Government through Arts NSW, and through CarriageWorks’ venue hire. To find out more about what CarriageWorks does or what’s on for the year ahead, visit www.carriageworks.com.au
CarriageWorks’ Executive Producer, Jamie Dawson shares his musings on why a world without creativity is no world for him.
6. 2010 HigHLigHTsAs we get ready to ramp it up for 2011, take a look back with us at the incredible year that was...
10. HiP HoP + iDenTiTYLocal hip hop veteran Matt ‘Mistery’ looks at the subculture of hip hop and its role in forging identity and community.
15. HaPPeningsJan – Mar at CarriageWorks is pretty much just packed full of awesomeness. Don’t miss a minute.
We look at the power of creativity and how it triggers our senses, peaks our curiosity, stirs our emotions and always leaves us with more than we started with.
Concrete Playground’s Lucy Rose Fokkema enters the stilted world of Stalker, to talkabout creativity and the human experience.
niCk basseTT / PHoTograPHerCover shot by Nick Bassett, featuring B*Boy Blond. Cover shoot B*Boy Blond, Luke Mercado & B*Girl Illiana. We love Nick Bassett’s awesome hip hop photography. Nick’s photographic series Icons was exhibited at CarriageWorks for Platform Hip Hop Festival in 2010. CarriageWorks has commissioned a new work, Power Moves, to be showcased at this year’s Platform. Power Moves looks at the form, strength and skill of breaking.17 Mar - 09 Apr
CreaTiviTY maTTers beCaUse wiTHoUT iT THere’D be no originaL THoUgHT, no new iDeas, no LeaDersHiP, no Progression, no CommUniTY, no emPaTHY, no exPression... no fUnCTion. jamie
DawsonWhat does creativity mean to you?It’s being able to take a unique perspective and develop it so others can understand. It’s envisioning what isn’t and being able to make it happen. In 1893 Lawrence Hargrave stood on a beach of a tiny village at the base of the Royal National Park and, against all perceptions of insanity, said ‘I’m gonna fly’. He built a box kite, strapped himself in with piano wire, and was the first person to experience the pure freedom that only birds can truly know – that’s creativity.
Everyone can be creative – in every facet of their life. Being an artist and being creative are not the same thing. Not everyone can be an artist, in fact very few people can, but everyone should endeavour to be creative – the world would be a much more productive and passionate place.
What is a creative experience in your life that has moved you?When I lived in Scotland I had the opportunity to work with a bunch of ‘at risk’ young men in a hideous place called Dedridge. I spent a couple of days a week in ‘creative expression’ (the school’s words, not mine) as part of an alternative curriculum stream. At the start of the program I asked them what it meant to be creative. The one person to answer said ‘everything we’re not’. For the next twenty weeks we played drama games, paint ball, visually mapped alternative skate board routes to school, painted, had knives pulled on us, made music, made films, lost one member to juvenile detention and one to gang violence, drew, walked, laughed, talked and, finally, shot a doco telling their stories. I asked them again at the end, what it meant to be creative. The same kid said ‘It’s the mindset that gives you hope that one day you’ll get out of this shithole’. Every day since I have thought about those guys...
Why do you think communities need creativity?Communities need to be able to express themselves creatively and to celebrate creativity in all its forms. Creativity has been integral to the existence of every group of people that has ever walked the earth
and is vital to the preservation of culture and history. A community’s capacity to be creative directly reflects the political, social and environmental climate they are living in. At a base level, I really believe people need to connect, they need to share some sort of understanding, to know they are a part of something bigger, something real. Places like CarriageWorks provide a conduit for that to happen.
Australian creativity and creative culture is....?Strong, vibrant, exciting, growing, quickly developing its own voice. We are in a really good place. Nothing is perfect and I think contemporary creative activity in this country is trying to move away from where its influence has been, to where it should be - events like Darwin Festival, The Dreaming and Woodford, as well as companies like Erth, Marrugeku and Version 1.0, are amongst many providing inspiration in the development of collaborative, exploratory, community based expression across a wide consciousness. Culturally, it seems like we are almost over our self deprecating cringe and starting to embrace the fact that there has always been amazing work being developed on these lands. I’m really enjoying working in the Arts at this time.
Your ideal experience of creativity and community would be?Anytime a community comes together to actively participate in and celebrate creativity it is going to be something I love. If, through that, you can facilitate positive social change, it then becomes my absolute ideal. I love to explore creative experiences where people get their chance to contribute, where it is open and genuinely accessible to people at all levels where people are comfortable enough to be challenged and to challenge.
A world without creativity would be?Impossible.
exeCUTive ProDUCer / Cw
Read more from Jamie at carriageworks.tumblr.com
2010The year that was... 2010 at CarriageWorks was a memorable year of amazing events that pushed the boundaries of artistic exploration, creative collaboration, individual expression and collective experience. We hope you took some risks, had some fun, shared your ideas with us, and tried something you’d never done before. Let’s kick off 2011 the same way...
CONTEMPORARY.Pushing the limits with the
Rabble’s Cageling.
CAPTIVATING.Q&A session with cult DIY filmmakers at
Shoot The Player.
PERSONAL.Trading sustainable ideas at the
Kitchen Garden Project.
MOTIVATING.Pedal power at the Sustainability Expo.
PLAYFUL.Capturing crazy moments at
The Finders Keepers.
WHIMSICAL.Making magic with mushrooms at
the live music stage.
WONDERFUL.Imagination comes to life at the Sydney
Children’s Festival.
AGELESS.Learning to stiltwalk at the Sydney
Children’s Festival.
COLLECTIVE.Enjoying a colourful community at
CarriageARTWorks.
SOULFUL.Discovering local talent and enjoying
accoustic rhythms at Winterland festival.
LOCAL.Sampling produce at the
Taste Trail Cooking Adventure Workshop.
UNEXPECTED.Dynamic art from the city’s fringe.
PROVOCATIVE.Fearless B*Boy battles at Platform Hip Hop Festival.
ABSTRACT.Savouring quirky gems with Elbow Room’s
A Tiny Chorus at the Sydney Fringe.
CLASSIC.Swapping vintage faves at Rethreads.
TIMELESS.Getting down to the knitty gritty at
Crafternoon.
REFLECTIVE.Dreaming of everything! on the Wishing Wall at the Sydney Children’s Festival.
SILLY.Letting loose Blues-Brothers style
at WrongProm.
LIVE.Watching resident company Force Majeure’s live performance of Not In A Million Years.
CONNECTED.Ideas worth spreading at TEDx Sydney.
EVOCATIVE.Scoping street art as part of
Graffiti & Street Art Walking Tours.
ECCLECTIC.Browsing for designer delights at
The Finders Keepers design & art markets.
HaPPenings + HigHLigHTs
2011moves...
Creativ
ity m
oves
us
forward
. It o
pen
us u
p. It
expo
ses
us to
new
ideas
... to
each
othe
r... a
nd m
aybe
mos
t impo
rtantl
y... t
o ou
rselve
s.
Creativ
ity c
an sh
ift ho
w we
think
and
shap
e who
we
are. It
can
unfo
ld
us a
nd b
ring
us to
gethe
r. It
can
confu
se o
r con
found
us,
trans
port
or
trans
form u
s, ev
oke
or p
rovo
ke u
s, inf
uriate
or e
levate
us.
Creativ
ity
is ne
ver n
eutra
l. It
is rar
ely s
till. I
t has
a p
ulse
and
a he
artbe
at an
d
reach
es o
ut to
enga
ge u
s. It
trigge
rs ou
r sen
ses,
peak
s ou
r curi
osity
,
stirs
our e
motion
s and
alway
s lea
ves u
s with
mor
e tha
n we s
tarted
with
.
Creativ
ity M
oves
.
CreaTiviTY
Creativ
ity is
eve
rywhe
re. It
’s a
part
of who
we
are, h
ow w
e thi
nk,
how w
e live
life,
and
how w
e mak
e sen
se of
thing
s. Crea
tivity
unde
rpins
expr
essio
n, or
igina
lity an
d pr
ogres
sion,
and
stirs
imag
inatio
n an
d
unde
rstan
ding.
Creativ
ity is
how w
e drea
m up w
hat is
n’t an
d brin
g it to
life.
Creativ
ity ha
s spu
rred g
reat m
inds t
o env
ision
amaz
ing th
ings f
or ou
r worl
d
since
the
begin
ning
of tim
e. It i
s the
share
d lan
guag
e of
artist
s, write
rs,
danc
ers, ac
tors, m
usici
ans, d
esign
ers an
d thin
kers.
Yet a
lso liv
es ins
ide ev
ery
single
one o
f us.
Creativ
ity ca
n tak
e us t
o fan
tastic
al wor
lds an
d unk
nown
unive
rses,
or b
e fou
nd in
the
most o
rdina
ry of
momen
ts an
d pla
ces.
It can
come s
ilentl
y or li
ke a t
hund
er cla
p, an
d be j
ust fo
r us,
or sh
ared w
ith
others
. It liv
es so
mewhe
re be
twee
n the
‘wha
t if...?
’ and
the ‘
I cou
ld...?
’
and i
s whe
re po
ssibi
lity be
gins..
.
House
d in t
he ol
d Eve
leigh
Rail
Yard
s, the
Carr
iageW
orks
site
has b
een a
place
of m
ovem
ent, s
ince i
ts ea
rliest
days
. Tod
ay, C
arriag
eWor
ks is
home
to art
istic
explo
ration
, crea
tive
colla
borat
ion, i
ndivi
dual
expr
essio
n an
d
colle
ctive
expe
rienc
e. Th
e 2011 P
rogr
am ha
s bee
n des
igned
to op
en up
new o
ppor
tunitie
s to
bring
crea
tivity
, in a
ll its
forms,
to as
man
y peo
ple
as p
ossib
le. W
e inv
ite yo
u to
make
Carriag
eWor
ks yo
urs, a
nd sh
are th
e
expe
rienc
e with
us.
PeoPLe
Creativ
ity is
for e
veryo
ne. I
t is
not e
xclus
ive. T
here
is no
club
or
secre
t cod
e to
crack
. No
obsc
ure p
uzzle
to d
eciph
er or
gen
etic
pre-d
ispos
ition
to wish
for.
If yo
u are
hum
an, y
ou a
re cre
ative
.
Being
human
equip
s us
with ev
erythi
ng we
need
to fee
l,
to ex
pres
s, to
relate
, to
unde
rstan
d, to
imag
ine a
nd to
crea
te.
Creativ
ity is
integ
ral to
human
exist
ence
. Our
lives
are o
ur cre
ative
act.
Get mak
ing!
CULTUres
Creativ
ity sh
ows u
s who
we a
re. It
mirrors
how w
e thin
k, an
d wha
t
we care
abou
t. It c
halle
nges
wha
t is, a
nd qu
estio
ns w
hat c
ould
be.
Creativ
ity h
as s
hown
us o
urselv
es, i
n ev
ery m
omen
t ove
r tim
e.
It is
a liv
ing re
cord
of t
he w
ay w
e ha
ve liv
ed a
nd g
rown
togeth
er
throu
ghou
t hist
ory.
It link
s us t
o our
past
and m
oves
us to
our fu
ture.
Creativ
ity le
ts us
explo
re tog
ether
how w
e can
be m
ore.
CommUniTies
Creativ
ity
conn
ects
us.
Creativ
ity
is un
iversa
l an
d ow
ned
by ev
eryon
e. It’s
someth
ing we
share
and
are all
part
of.
Creativ
ity en
large
s us a
nd lin
ks us
in to
be pa
rt of s
ometh
ing bi
gger.
Creativ
ity gr
ows a
nd sp
reads
from pe
rson t
o pers
on, m
ultipl
ying i
deas
and i
nspir
ation
as it
moves
. Just
by be
ing pa
rt of th
e wide
r com
munity
,
we are
feedin
g coll
ectiv
e crea
tivity
and s
hared
human
expe
rienc
e.
b-boYb-girL
maTT ‘misTerY’ on HiP HoP + iDenTiTY2011 marks the 20th anniversary of the iconic I Have A Dream mural painted by Andrew Aiken and Julie Pryor in King Street, Newtown. The message of this mural is still poignant, moving, and relevant to issues plaguing the world. Some rays of hope can be seen in the strangest of places.
The hip hop subculture was born out of the African American civil rights movement, and in many ways it has been useful in seeing the ideals of Martin Luther King’s 1963 speech ‘I Have A Dream’ come to fruition through it. Hip hop began with the disenfranchised youth of the New York ghettos in the 1970s, but can now be found in every corner of the globe. Its voice and message has resonated with people from all walks of life who relate to the struggle and injustices it speaks of. The various disciplines of hip hop have also served to entice new initiates.
I was originally drawn to hip hop when I saw breaking for the first time in the music video for Buffalo Gals by Malcolm McLaren. The clip featured the legendary breakers Rock Steady Crew as well as graffiti, DJs and rapping. For a bogan kid from Sydney’s western suburbs, this was new and radical stuff. My friends and I started to mimic what we saw in movies and videos, seeking out any sources for learning more about this new form of expression. Little did we know that some of us would be still involved in this movement some 30 years later!
if an inDiviDUaL Can Do a DoPe move or kiCk a maD rHYme on THe miC, He or sHe insTanTLY gains resPeCT. regarDLess of wHere PeoPLe Have Come from, or wHo THeY are, THeY’LL Have a new iDenTiTY wiTHin THe CULTUre.
Hip hop contains underlying messages of social justice and rebellion against the system. It also promotes, as hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa (aka Bam) says, ‘peace, unity, love and having fun’. This simple message is deeper than it first appears. Adding the phrase ‘having fun’ at the end lightens the mood and makes the first three goals seem more easily attainable. Peace, unity and love are ideals which often seem too hard to achieve, but if people are having fun along the way then they’re probably more likely to give it a go.
Bam was originally a member of the South Bronx street gang the Black Spades. He began DJing in hip hop’s early years, forming the hip hop organisation Universal Zulu Nation. He also introduced the ‘knowledge of self’ concept into hip hop culture - a concept that Zulu Nation still continues to promote today. ‘Knowledge of self’ means knowing who you are, knowing where you’ve come from, understanding your environment and expressing yourself in a pure and true way that benefits your neighbours.
Ironically, a lot of the original tenets of hip hop’s founding fathers appear to have been overtaken by an opposite way of thinking. The promotion of gangstaism, materialism, sexism, and even subtle racism has influenced what most people consider hip hop. The deviation is understandable from a marketing point of view, as it’s easier to tell a lie than to face the truth. Sadly, many young people have lost their lives in an attempt to live up to a false stereotype perpetuated by the marketing of commercial rap.
Fortunately, hip hop in its true essence still exists and thrives all over the planet. One of the cool things about the real subculture is that it’s not about race, socio-economic status, age, gender or any other superficial factor. It’s based on two main factors - personal skill, and appreciation of the skills of others. If an individual can do a dope move or kick a mad rhyme on the mic, he or she instantly gains respect. Regardless of where people have come from, or who they are, they’ll have a new identity within the culture.
My love of hip hop and the elements that I represent has opened doors for me all around the world. If I’m in a strange overseas destination and a local graffiti artist sees some of my graffiti flicks, before I know it, I’m part of the family. This also happens to me in my capacity as a B*Boy and as an MC. The jamming mentality is deeply entrenched in the hip hop movement, and is one of its most endearing features.
Added to the underlying camaraderie of hip hop is the longing to express and to hear people’s individual stories and experiences. True hip hop discourages emulation but encourages individualism. It also encourages the introduction of other cultural influences which has served to enrich the development of hip hop as a global movement. I love listening to hip hop music that has rapping in languages that I don’t understand - I love that you can hear the passion, heart, and vibe of a voice and gain some insight into how a person feels in a culture that is completely different. When I’ve performed tracks in the USA, American hip hop heads have loved the vibe, in particular hearing rapping in the distinct Australian accent. Hip hop always has something new and fresh to bring to the world.
Near the end of King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech he expresses the hope that one day the situation will be changed so that little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. This ideal can be witnessed today at numerous hip hop jams, breaking cyphers, graffiti walls and DJ battles all around the world.
People coming together to express themselves through the common medium of hip hop has broken down many barriers. There are infinite stories to be heard on this planet and since the beginning of time, art has served to achieve this. In our present era you’d be hard pressed to find such a powerful voice for the common person as hip hop.
Keep it real. _maTT ‘misTerY’is a local hip hop veteran, graff artist, and coordinator of CarriageWorks’ Grafitti & Street Art Walking Tours.
Above: I AM Hip Hop - Lil Wayne,Platform Hip Hop Festival crowdRight: Hip hop fans enjoying some mad moves, Platform Hip Hop Festival, No Stopping - B*Girl IllianaPrevious: Radical Son & Bravo Child
er?
Taking its name from a 1970s Russian sci-fi film, helmed by two New Zealanders living in Australia, performing to audiences everywhere from Holland to Venezuela and overseeing an indigenous physical theatre company in the remote outback, Stalker Theatre Company certainly gets around.
Established in 1989 and first attracting international attention for its work with stilts, Stalker (co-artistic directed by Rachel Swain and David Clarkson) has since become Australia’s pre-eminent physical theatre company. With works like Stiltbreak, Red and hip hop inflected Elevate, the company has a well-earned rep for innovative, interdisciplinary and inter-cultural productions.
With a creative focus on reflecting significant issues of the human experience, Stalker draws on the power of different art forms to create individual stories with themes the world can feel and relate to. Performed at Carriageworks’ Platform Hip Hop Festival, Elevate (the sequel to fusion work StiltBreak which has been performed around the world more than 80 times to great acclaim) is a fusion of break dance, hip hop and stilt acrobtics, complete with a five metre high catapult.
Stalker’s co-Artistic Director David Clarkson hatched the concept of fusing hell-for-leather stilt acrobatics and hip hop in 2001, after noticing the similarities between the two styles as he watched break dancers at a festival in Boulder, Colorado. ‘David wanted to explore new ways of working, to keep the physical theatre form alive, and keep it contemporary’ explains general manager Tegan Richardson. Returning to Australia, Clarkson taught stilt workshops at a local high school where students experimented with their own hip hop fusion. ‘Hip hop is the stuff they identify with, its an immediately accessible form’. Inspired by the rich vocabulary and powerful language of hip hop, Stalker created the full length stilt/breakdance work that is Elevate.
ComPanY in resiDenCe aT Carriageworks
bY ConCreTe PLaYgroUnD’s LUCY rose fokkema
TaLkLET S
sUPPorTeD bYProDUCeD bY PHoTograPHers
01easT LonDon wesT sYDneY25 Jan – 30 JanPresented by Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) and The British Council in association with Sydney Festival and CarriageWorks. Hip hop artists from London and Sydney smash inner city stereotypes.
02Carriageworks exHibiTion sUbTexT: arT for LiTeraCY17 Feb – 05 MarPresented by The Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation in association with CarriageWorks. An exhibition of work by prominent Australian artists and students from Lurnea High School.
03UnPLUggeD+UnComPLiCaTeDLive mUsiC+Carriageworks 26 Feb, nooon-5pmProduced by CarriageWorks Programmed by Music For TreesFree afternoon of local music talent, featuring Liz Martin, BhangLassi, The Brutal Poodles, Emad Younan, and James Brennan of Theatre of Disco fame.
04Carriageworks exHibiTionPower moves17 Mar – 09 MarCommissioned & Produced by CarriageWorksPowerful photographic exhibition by Nick Bassett that looks at the form, strength and skill of breakdancing.
05Carriageworks’PLaTform HiP HoP fesTivaL12 Mar – 02 AprProduced by CarriageWorks Artistic Director Nick Power Four weeks of high powered hip hop action, including a massive line up of the best in local, interstate and international hip hop talent.
06fUnk iT UP aboUT noTHin’16 Mar – 26 MarPresented by CarriageWorks’ Platform Hip Hop FestivalA hip hop theatre production produced by Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Merrigong Theatre Company and Richard Jordan Productions.
NICK BASSETT / BRETT BOARDMAN DECLAN KUCH / CAMERON MILLS KEITH SAUNDERS / LISA TOMASETTI PRUDENCE UPTON / CONAN WHITEHOUSE
ConTribUTors
08THe magnifiCenTsraHZeL, sUPernaTUraL & Dj js-1 wiTH kooLism & THe narCiCYsT 02 Apr, from 6.30pmPresented by CarriageWorks’ Platform Hip Hop FestivalExpect a full bag of tricks from this powerhouse of international hip hop talent.
07UnPLUggeD+UnComPLiCaTeDLive mUsiC+Carriageworks 26 Mar, noon-5pmProduced by CarriageWorksFree afternoon of local music talent featuring The Falls, Rosie Catalano, Melanie Horsnell and Missing Children.
CreaTive DeveLoPmenT jUmP: naTionaL menToring ProgramSupported by the Australia Council for the Arts, managed nationally by YAQ NSW Delivery Partner CarriageWorks
We’re thrilled to be working with the eight NSW artists selected for the 2011 JUMP National Mentoring Program for Young and Emerging Artists. CarriageWorks will work with the mentees and their mentors to guide and manage their 10-month program experience. Check out our blog to follow the road with them at www.carriageworks.tumblr.com
HaPPenings _jan/feb/mar