|
|
The latest news from British Council Australia
|
|
First Nations Cultural Summit and Creation Lab sets path for a collective cultural future
Last week, over 100 First Nations cultural and creative leaders from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Taiwan, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, USA, Guam, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Wales and Scotland came together on the lands of the Kulin Nation in Melbourne at Marram-nganjinu Biik-gurrin (We are Country) Cultural Summit and Creation Lab during YIRRAMBOI First Nations Arts Festival.
Over three days, delegates of the Summit took up the challenge to explore and define what a collective cultural future looks like for First Nations, and the leadership strategies that are needed. The position that only First Nations can define their futures was supported within the Summit through a range of provocations, cultural think thanks and futures statements.
The group will continue the momentum harnessed to progress the actions arising from the Summit over the coming weeks, with another summit suggested by the group for 2019. We look forward to these outcomes, which will deliver a solid foundation for the future with a distinctive First Nations collective voice.
The five-day creation lab, which ran in tandem with the Summit, culminated with the 20 selected participants showcasing their collaborations in development to an invited audience at Testing Grounds, Southbank. The delegates explored their practice in a collaborative environment, challenging the methodologies of western dramaturgy.
You can find out more about the Cultural Summit and Creation Lab on our website, or view images from Marram-nganjinu Biik-gurrin on our Flickr Channel.
Marram-nganjinu Biik-gurrin was presented by alumni of the British Council’s ACCELERATE leadership development programme. It was proudly supported by the British Council and the
Australia Council for the Arts, in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Create NSW
and City of Melbourne.
|
|
Nural's sweet story wins FameLab Australia 2017
Congratulations to Nural Cokcetin from the University of Technology Sydney, who was crowned winner of FameLab Australia 2017 at an inspiring event in the WA Maritime Museum on 4 May.
Nural not only won the judges' top prize but also the audience vote for her three minute talk, 'The sweet treat(ment) for your microbiome', which explored the antimicrobial and prebiotic qualities of honey.
Well done also to Andrew Katsis from Deakin University, who was named runner-up, and Bronwyn Ayre from the University of Western Australia and Kings Park, who received an honorable mention from the judges.
Nural will head to the UK to present her talk at the FameLab International Finals at the Times Cheltenham Science Festival on 6-8 June, competing with scientists from more than 25 countries. Follow her journey on our website or by following #FameLabAus on social media.
|
|
See Hisham Matar at the Sydney Writers' Festival
We're thrilled to be supporting Pulitzer Prize winning author Hisham Matar to take part in the 2017 Sydney Writers Festival this month.
When Matar was 19, his father was kidnapped in Cairo and taken to a prison in Libya. He never saw him again. His unflinching memoir, The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between, charts his search for clues to his father’s fate.
Matar describes his search as both an attempt to reconcile his loss and a harrowing journey into history, politics, art and the brutal legacy of corrupted power. Author Peter Carey called the book ‘a triumph of art over tyranny’.
In this podcast, recorded live by the British Council at Hay Festival Cartagena de Indias earlier this year, he speaks to us about The Return.
Matar will talk about his memoir at the Roslyn Packer Theatre at 3pm on Saturday 27 May, and will also participate in panel discussions A Murderer in the Family (26 May) and Resist (27 May).
|
|
The Great Escape returns with a host of emerging UK acts
The Great Escape Festival begins in Brighton today, with over 300 bands playing in 30 venues over the next three days. We're pleased that Travis Banko has been selected to be part of the International delegation to attend the Great Escape music showcasing opportunity.
Travis splits his time in the music industry between booking and programming with St. Jerome's Laneway Festival and artist management at Lunatic Entertainment. He also manages emerging London-based act DRELLER while working across more established acts such as CHVRCHES, Gotye, The Temper Trap, Mansionair and D.D Dumbo.
Described by The Times as "the best place in Europe to discover new bands", The Great Escape has been firmly established internationally as the leading event for showcasing new music across a range of genres. The Festival kick-starts the European summer festival season, introducing 16,000 music lovers to the key artists and sounds of the year.
|
|
Australian delegates announced for Future News Worldwide
Congratulations to Suka Junin and Riley Wilson, who have been selected to attend a once-in-a-lifetime journalism summit in Edinburgh in July.
Riley, who is a journalism student at the University of New South Wales, and Suka, who is studying at the University of Technology Sydney, were selected for two of the 100 fully-funded places for Future News Worldwide.
The programme offers aspiring young journalists the opportunity to develop practical and editorial skills and hear directly from some of the world’s most high-profile industry leaders from world leading organisations such as Reuters, CNN, BBC, Facebook and Google News Lab.
Riley and Suka will benefit from the opportunity to develop practical and editorial skills at Future News Worldwide, as well as gaining insight into the changing ways news is delivered.
|
|
University of the Arts London visits Australia
During March, the University of the Arts London (UAL) visited schools in Australia to conduct one-to-one interviews and open information sessions with prospective students and their parents.
There are currently 75 students from Australia studying at UAL, which is made up of six London-based colleges, each offering a range of courses in art, design, fashion, media, communication and performing arts.
During the visit, UAL interviewed a total of 40 students - the highest recorded for one of their visits - with the vast majority achieving direct offers.
Val Palmer, International Academic and Senior Lecturer at UAL, tells us more about the trip in this blog piece.
You can visit the UAL website for more information about being an international student at UAL.
|
|
See award-winning films at SCINEMA International Science Film Festival
SCINEMA International Science Film Festival is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere; celebrating the power of moving image to tell stories about the world, how it works and our place in it.
Presented by Australia’s Science Channel, SCINEMA showcases science features, shorts, documentaries, animated and experimental films from filmmakers around the world and premieres at Palace Cinemas in major cities across Australia from 7-19 June 2017.
The winning film for best director this year is British Film Purple Pain by Kim Albright. Find out more about the film on the British Council’s British Films Directory, or visit the Australia's Science Channel website for more information about the Festival.
|
|
|
You have received this newsletter because you registered on our website or previously showed interest in British Council news. If you wish to opt out of future newsletters please unsubscribe here.
If you have been forwarded this email and would like to receive future emails from us you can subscribe to this newsletter here.
|
|
|
