We’ve got some big news: after four glorious years we’re leaving our Randle St warehouse in Surry Hills. 

And we’re throwing a party to say goodbye. With free wine, no less! Joining us will be some of the finest independent artists and musicians in Sydney.

So put Saturday 28th April down in your diaries.

Come along and sample some gorgeous lo-fi troubadours in the afternoon and dusk, sink into some beautiful films and ensemble indie bands in the early evening; and party to some electric audiovisual DJ sets into the night. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be Twist if you didn’t get to interact and affect the development of a set or two – so expect some ridiculous audience interaction games to boot. 

Over the past 2 years we’ve built a strong local musical community event with Twist. What started as a humble fundraiser has led to a network of dozens of musicians, artists and enthusiasts. Now that we’re leaving Randle St, we’re changing the monthly event to an annual festival-like event: Twistival. This thing has morphed into a new beast altogether and we are excited with what Twistival can become: an annual celebration of independent arts in Sydney.

Bands:
The Leichhardt International Ukestra (ukelele covers!); Laura Bishop (singer/songwriter/piano player); The Lunch Mothers (indie bluegrass); Chris Neto (singer/songwriter, gorgeous sound); Juniper (indie/rock); Packwood (orchestral banjo folk); DJs from the SHARE crew (Sydney); regular Twisters Robin Dixon, Dave Carr, Aimee Falzon, Shakthi Sivanathan; and MANY MORE. Further announcements coming soon.

Films:
OJ on Broadway – short music doco dir. Curtis Taylor
Marco – short music doco dir. Guido Gonzalez 
Ama & Chan Kitchen Rescue (sneak peek of new comedic web series) dir. Alan Lao 
Mamu (Ghost) – short thriller dir. Curtis Taylor

Details:
5pm-1am, Saturday 28th April 2012
CuriousWorks: Level 4, 11 Randle St, Surry Hills
One minutes walk from Central Station, Devonshire St Exit
Directions:  http://curiousworks.com.au/about/us/

$15 donation at the door which is a TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION FOR YOU!
Plus a free glass of wine.* :-) *Unfortunately we were only donated loads of wine by a lovely mystery dude, free other liquids are not available (yet).

As always, this event will be held under a NSW fundraising certificate at CuriousWorks HQ, with proceeds going to support our projects with marginalised communities around Australia.

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The Other Journey has had a few media mentions lately as one of the highlights of Parramasala 2011. Here are some snapshots from our press and links to the full articles.

Stories spice up Parramatta festival
Jo Litson
The Sunday Telegraph

Picture: Ella Pellegrini Source: The Daily Telegraph

“Parramatta will come alive with the sights, sounds and spicy smells of South East Asia when Parramasala starts next Sunday. Now in its second year, the Australian Festival of South East Asian Arts - focused around Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres and city precinct at Town Hall and St John’s Cathedral Square – will feature film, theatre, dance, music, contemporary art, daily markets and free yoga classes. One of the highlights is the immersive, multi-media performance piece The Other Journey, which will be staged on a stretch of the Parramatta River.”

“Usually people who flee as refugees get turned into statistics. I do feel they are either scorned or pitied – but I guess if any of us were in those situations we’d probably do the same.”

Full article:  http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/insider/stories-spice-up-parramatta-festival/story-e6frewt9-1226174398017

The Other Journey developed by CuriousWorks for Parramasala
Chris Hook
The Daily Telegraph

Picture: Katrina Tepper Source: The Daily Telegraph

“Part theatre, part film, part art installation, The Other Journey appears an awesome trip for Parramasala patrons.“ 

“It’s not something you could say on stage. This is a way to use music and MP3 players to get across these most intimate thoughts.”

Full article:  http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/whats-on/the-other-journey-developed-by-curiousworks-for-parramasala/story-e6frexmi-1226177228453

The Other Journey
Angela Bennetts
Alternative Media Group

“The Parramatta River has witnessed countless tides of displacement and settlement. For this year’s Parramasala (Australia’s Festival of South Asian Arts) it will set the stage for a retelling of one such story, told in a way few will have seen before. Shakthi Sivanathan, of CuriousWorks explains further. 

“The Other Journey is my attempt to give these lives a simple dignity and a familiarity. The way they tell their stories in the work, it’s very informal, intimate, reflective… it’s like being in someone’s living room for a night and going through a bottle of whiskey with them as you swap life stories. For the show we couldn’t include the whiskey bit of course, there would probably be some OH&S problems with that.”

Full article:  http://www.altmedia.net.au/the-other-journey/43469

And we even scored the front cover of the Parramatta Advertiser!

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Next Wednesday, October 19, CuriousWorks hosts amazing local instrumental trio The String Contingent, in the only Sydney show of their current international tour. 

October Twist #2:  The String Contingent 

Wed 19/10

8-10:30 pm (two sets)

Suite 402, 11 Randle St Surry Hills

$15 tax-deductible donation

The String Contingent meld the raw wildness of Scottish folk, the organic dynamism of American bluegrass and the refined acoustic sensibility of the classical string trio. Chris Stone (violin), Graham McLeod (guitar) and Holly Downes (double bass) have retain the spontaneity of free improvisation within the structurally integrated ethos of the chamber ensemble.

This young group posseses superb musicianship, Graham’s thoughtful picking providing the secure backbone on which Chris might explore sounds alternately tender or wildly yowling (Warren Ellis eat your heart out), while the melodic potential of the double bass is deftly revealed under Holly’s sure fingers. Meanwhile, the songs themselves indicate a store of thoughtfully accumulated youthful wisdom and an ebullient joy in the contingent possibilities of life.  

The String Contingent will be playing two sets live and (almost comletely) unplugged in the cosy surrounds of our warehouse space. As always, the show will be held under a NSW fundraising certificate, with proceeds going to support diverse artists and communities around Australia.

We hope to see you there!

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We continue our season of nights of silent film with live improvised music in October with the 1920s feature-length film “Der Golem” (directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener).

October Twist #3: “Der Golem” with Chaika
Wednesday October 26th, 8-10:30pm
CuriousWorks HQ: Suite 402, 11 Randle St Surry Hills
$10 (tax deductible) donation

This classic work of Gothic expressionism is based on a folktale: in 16th-century Prague, a Jewish rabbi creates a giant creature from clay (the titular Golem) and, using sorcery, brings the creature to life in order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution. Inevitably, the Golem runs amok and must be stopped…

The live score will be performed by Sydney-based quartet Chaika. These four multi-instrumentalists began with their roots in Klezmer and now have their branches swaying in the breeze of Bulgarian song, Balkan melodies, eastern rhythms, jazz improvisations and even Celtic colourations. They weave lush four-part vocal harmonies together with diverse instrumental textures in their performances of both original and traditional music. The group features Laura Altman on clarinet/ voice, Emily-Rose Sarkova on accordion/voice/piano, Susie Bishop on violin/guitar/voice, and Laura Bishop on accordion/piano/double- bass/voice.

This event will be held under a NSW fundraising certificate at CuriousWorks HQ, with proceeds going to support projects with disadvantaged and diverse artists around Australia.

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If you’re in Sydney, we invite you to this very special event: The Other Journey. Take a journey with us across the face of the globe and back home again. We’d love to see you there.

This is an excerpt from the Parramasala website. Book tickets and learn about the rest of the Festival Programme via http://parramasala.com/events/the-other-journey-australia-sri-lanka/the-other-journey-australia-sri-lanka .

Sydney’s remarkable CuriousWorks is renowned for its innovative approach to creating art across many forms. The Other Journey is a theatre work presenting intimate stories by three very different people who fled from Sri Lanka to Australia.

Commissioned by Parramasala and presented outdoors on a stretch of the Parramatta River, this exciting project combines large scale outdoor video art, moving storytelling, guided tours and luscious music which mixes Eastern and Western influences.

The flowing water and banks around the Lennox Bridge will provide the canvas for a stunning art installation which maps the many individual journeys from Sri Lanka to Australia. Animated light projections, lanterns and short films will bring the river to life.

Against this ever-changing backdrop, The Other Journey will be presented at scheduled times each evening to small pre-booked groups. Audience members will take part in two different experiences. Leaving Lanka is presented to the audience while sitting on the riverbank. Through headphones and mp3 players, intimate stories will be told by people who decided to flee from Sri Lanka to Australia. Becoming A Battler revisits the same people, this time telling the story of how they settled into Sydney and became Australians. For this experience, the audience is seated in a boat which gently travels up and down the river.

Every audience member will take something special away with them, and leave something personal behind.

Passers-by can simply view the unfolding visual story each night from the Lennox Bridge.

CuriousWorks’ The Other Journey will be one of the unmissable events of the festival and sessions are expected to sell out quickly.

(See the documentary film produced by CuriousWorks, The Migrant Project at 1pm Friday 4 November as part of the free Lunch Hour Documentaries series).