In Memory of a Name symposium – documentation

Thanks to all those that made it to 4A last weekend for the In Memory of A Name symposium. All of the presentations from the symposium have been recorded and will be uploaded early next week.

Elly Kent’s project, Née (born as), continues the conversation on the memorialisation of names all this week at Casula Powerhouse. Elly’s project will be open to the public from 11am – 5pm until Friday 24 February.

In the mean time, here are a few photos taken of the various presentations throughout the day.

Public Programs – In Memory of A Name symposium

FX Harsono, Writing in the Rain (2010), installation view, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, photograph: Susannah Wimberley

Venue: 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
Date: Saturday 18 February 2012
Time: 2-4pm
Bookings essential: simon.soon@4a.com.au

This Saturday, 18 February, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art will present the In Memory of A Name symposium. From 2 – 4pm, you are invited to join 4A and a curatorium of emerging artists, writers, historians and curators as they present the result of a year-long investigation into the politics of changing your name.

Since 2011, 4A has been working with Indonesian artist FX Harsono, who in turn has facilitated this curatorium, In Memory of A Name. Taking Harsono’s work Rewriting the Name (2009) as a springboard, the curatorium have considered what it means for themselves, and other in their communities, to change their names.

The symposium will include interview with FX Harsono, pranic healer and name-expert Yasaiah Ross, and curatorium members such as Andreas Jaka Pratama who is looking for volunteers to have their name translated from Indonesia to English, using the Name Filtration System.

We are still accepting bookings for the Name Filtration System here.

4A would also like to invite participants for Elly Kent’s ongoing project Née (born as), a conversation project that invites you to tell the stories of your names; the names of our family, the names that you have left behind and the names that you have embraced.

We invite you to join us by stitching a name onto a piece of fabric while you share your story. The stitched names will become part of a collage, inscribed as a memorial to names past, present and future.

Sign up to be a participant for this project.

Join us at 4A for an afternoon of lively and entertaining discussion led by the In Memory of a Name participants.

Installation Images – Campbelltown Arts Centre

From left: Lisa Havilah (Project Curator); Lindy Hume (Director, Sydney Festival); Michael Dagostino (Director, Campbelltown Arts Centre); and Aaron Seeto (Project Curator).

Edge of Elsewhere is pleased to present a selection of installation images from Edge of Elsewhere 2012, at Campbelltown Arts Centre. In it’s third and final year, Edge of Elsewhere presents new commissions from artists Brook Andrew, Richard Bell, Dacchi Dang, Shigeyuki Kihara, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Phaptawan Suwannakudt, Khaled Sabsabi and Michel Tuffery. The exhibition continues at Campbelltown Arts Centre until March 18, 2012.

Sydney Festival TV

This piece from Sydney Festival TV followed the production of Michel Tuffery’s work O le Povi Pusa, for Edge of Elsewhere this year. It also includes interviews with artists Shigeyuki Kihara, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba and the project curators, Lisa Havilah and Aaron Seeto, and Michael Dagostino.

Artist Talks – 2012

After the success of the opening night at Campbelltown Arts Centre, the artist (and quite a big audience) returned for the 2012 Artist Talks.

Aaron Seeto, Director, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art opened the Artist Talks before handing over to Dr. Thomas Berghuis. As one of the original curators of Edge of Elsewhere, Thomas provided a valuable insight into the progress that the project has made over it’s three years. Thomas facilitated a conversation with artists Arahmaiani, Khaled Sabsabi and YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES, discussing the role of the artist in contemporary society.

Panel discussion featuring Arahmaiani, Khaled Sabsabi and YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES, facilitated by Dr. Thomas Berghuis. Photograph: Susannah Wimberley

Campbelltown Arts Centre – Opening Night

Thank you to all that made it to Campbelltown Arts Centre last Friday evening for the Opening of Edge of Elsewhere.

In addition to the opening speeches, the visitors were treated to a spectacular live performance, Culture for Sale (2012) by Shigeyuki Kihara. For the performance, four traditional Samoan dancers were positioned on low-lying plinths in the gallery space. Placed in front of each, idle performer was a money bowl. Only when an audience member placed money in the bowl, could the performers begin their dancing routine.

Shigeyuki Kihara, Culture for Sale, (2012), live performance, Campbelltown Arts Centre. photograph: Susannah Wimberley

Edge of Elsewhere continues at Campbelltown Arts Centre until Tuesday 13 March. Campbelltown Arts Centre is opening Monday – Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Celebrate-Obliterate-Recreate

Fx Harsono, Writing in the Rain (2011), installation view, photograph: Susannah Wemberley

COR (Celebrate-Obliterate-Recreate: an invisible ritual of shared sacrifice) is a response to the In Memory of Name workshops led by FX Harsono. It is a 3-stage process involving aspects of celebrating, obliterating, and recreating personal narratives and identities. Each participant brought one image of a cherished object to the project.  Echoing the words of Eva Gyarmati, “The value of an object lies not only in how beautiful it is but in the stories that it holds, the emotions that it evokes and the lessons that it teaches us,” they wrote about the object and its personal significance to them.

Campbelltown Arts Centre – Exhibition Opening

Edge of Elsewhere 2012 officially opens at Campbelltown Arts Centre this evening from 7pm tonight.

Please join us for the launch of the final instalment of Edge of Elsewhere, curated by Dr. Thomas Berghuis, Lisa Havilah and
Aaron Seeto. Exhibited from tonight are new commissions by artists Brook Andrew, Richard Bell, Dacchi Dang, Shigeyuki Kihara, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Khaled Sabsabi, Phaptawan Suwannakudt and Michel Tuffery.

Shigeyuki Kihara will present a new live performance, Culture for Sale, from 8pm tonight.

4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art – Installation Images

Khaled Sabsabi, corner (2012), installation view, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, 2012. Photograph: Susannah Wemberley

Thank you to all that made it to the opening of Edge of Elsewhere at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art last night. There was an incredible amount of support for the project and participating artits. Special thanks also to Maud Page for opening the exhibition.

There’s a small selection of installation images below.

4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art – Exhibition Launch

Edge of Elsewhere launches this evening, 6 – 8pm at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, 181-187 Hay Street, Haymarket. The exhibition will be opened by Maud Page, Curator of Contemporary Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery.

YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES, THE SLICKEST LITTLE KOREAN SCUMBAG DOWN UNDER, 2012, HD QuickTime film and original sountrack

In its final year, Edge of Elsewhere presents a number of projects in development since 2010. Exhibited at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art are works by Arahmaiani, FX Harsono, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Khaled Sabsabi and YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES.

By initiating and developing experiences of cross-cultural dialogue with communities, and linking these to significant experiences of contemporary art and everyday life, Edge of Elsewhere expands the profile of Australia’s emerging communities by connecting them with broader national and international arts practices.