I just spent three weeks at [international arts festival] being bombarded by art from around the world. This was a breath of fresh air.Schmick and moving. Very moving. Very powerful, ...
I just spent three weeks at [international arts festival] being bombarded by art from around the world. This was a breath of fresh air.
Schmick and moving. Very moving. Very powerful, without trying too hard. The soundscape was delightful.
Gut wrenching. The music just takes you in there.
It took me on an existential journey. I almost cried, I can’t really talk about it now. It was outside of everyday life.
It was almost Yogic. First time I relaxed and thought deeply all day. Still taking it in.
Very impresssed. I really enjoyed the music; it was excellently produced. Very slick.
The animation was also interesting, and even though it repeated often through the “journey” it still felt fresh. Well done!
If you haven’t been through it, you don’t realise. I never realised what they’d been through.
I heard my own voice, my own story and it took me a while to recognise it. Then I heard my own words, but with new meaning.
Nice work mate. Until they realise we’re all one, it’s not going to work, is it?
The movement of refugees and immigrants across the world is usually
relayed through statistics, news bites, policy and campaign. Through
these channels, public responses generally alternate between scorn and
pity.
Leaving Lanka instead relays the intimacy, dignity and compromise that surrounds the decision to flee.
The work is an interdisciplinary experience and takes the form of a gentle, guided audio journey, embedded with site-specific, animated projections and paintings. During the journey, the audience member is invited to listen in to 3 conversations – with an Australian dancer, teacher and minister – each
intimately sharing their stories of leaving Sri Lanka. Their quiet,
honest reflections are set to a luscious, expansive soundtrack that
carries the listener from dusk into the early evening.
Blending audio documentary, contemporary Western music with classical Indian overtones, traditional oral storytelling and immersive installation,
Leaving Lanka is a special, reflective experience that takes one on
a journey across the face of the globe and back home again.
This show is always adapted to its local environment and is most suited to quiet, reflective places just next to highly-visible, public meeting points. The content itself can also be adapted to different cities and towns, with stories from the local Sri Lankan community in that place incorporated into the work.
Performance History:
- Leaving Lanka debuted at Parramasala Festival, November 2010. It was held in a bunker underneath a cafe (whilst raining) and in a boat along Parramatta River, by the side of Riverside Theatres (whilst not raining). Parramasala is an annual Australian Festival of South Asian Arts, hosting a vibrant celebration of today’s professional contemporary artists from around the
world who are embracing the traditions and innovations in South Asian
arts.
Contact asi@curiousworks.com.au for a more detailed conversation, including access to audio and visuals from the work and pricing details.
