OFFICIAL PROJECT BLOG https://civilianinterneedoco.wordpress.com
The Cowra–Canowindra Community Arts Project is a series of arts workshops in performance and story-telling involving community youth artists, youth arts workers/ artists and cultural organizations from Cowra, Canowindra, Bathurst and visiting professional artists in residence . The workshops results will be presented during Cowra Civilian Internment Program, Festival of International Understanding (March 2014 ) and 70th Anniversary of Cowra Breakout Commemorations (August 2014). The project aims to further Cowra’s community heritage of heralding peace and reconciliation, and to shed light on the little known history of civilian internment in Australia during WW2.
Intensive Arts Workshops for School Holidays:
Documentary Making with David Hansen and Bruce Ryan – 1 July (Mon) – 5 July (Fri) 9 am- 4pm Cowra Family Support Service, 5 Vaux St, Cowra.
FREE workshops. Suits age group 15 +
Read about experiences by participants
Participants learnt the entire process of documentary making from professional documentary makers, including story boarding, interviewing, visual & sound recording and editing. Since, the participants and facilitators have been working as the Civilian Internee Documentary Team to document other arts workshops as part of the Cowra Canowindra Community Arts Project, creating art videos and working on a documentary about civilian internment in Australia during WW2.
Shadow Theatre with Jumaadi – Weekdays, 1 July (Mon) – 12 July (Fri) – 10am – 4 pm Cowra Bowling & Recreation Club, 27 Vaux St, Cowra.
FREE workshops. Suits age group 15 +
Read about experiences by participants
Participants learnt how to create contemporary shadow theatre by Indonesian Australian artist Jumaadi, including hand making of shadow characters with inexpensive materials and poetic narrative to create a shadow theatre performance inspired by stories of Indonesian civilian internee families who were interned in Cowra during WW2. Jumaadi will return to Cowra during the Festival of International Understanding 2014 (March) to perform the completed work with the community.
Jumaadi shows intermediary workshop results with participants.
Voice & Movement with Alan Schacher & Weize Ho – 26 September / 4 October Shop 19 Centre Arcade, 58 Kendall St, Cowra.
FREE workshops. Suits age group 13 +
Read about experiences by participants
Participants created text for voice work from their own family histories, learnt movement skills, then worked site specifically at the Japanese War Cemetery in Cowra and explored transcultural motifs of spirits, place and family legacies.
Workshop participants at Japanese War Cemetery in Cowra
The Cowra–Canowindra Community Arts Project is facilitated by artist Mayu Kanamori in conjunction with Cowra Musical & Dramatic Society, Cowra Breakout Association, Cowra Council and Nikkei Australia.
