BIG VILLAGE - DIGITAL Will Kick Off This Week
The project builds a manifesto for action to support the development of global majority performance makers.
By: Stephi Wild Mar. 09, 2022
Upswing have launched a series of short films and online conversations profiling and celebrating the work of global majority artists, starting today with six short films from different companies: three in the UK and three in Australia. The project builds a manifesto for action to support the development of global majority performance makers.
Over the course of four months, the six companies have been creating a digital space where companies share their creative and working practices, focusing on the ways of working that have helped them grow and thrive as creative communities.
The cross-culture collaboration has been exploring questions of 'white gaze' and how the Black Lives Matter movement has changed their work and expectations of their work since May 2020. Following today's film launch, the six companies will be holding a curated discussion on 22nd March to share their findings and shape their final manifesto, that aims to reflect on the changes needed in the cultural landscape to build a more equitable future.
Big Village - Digital will celebrate the pioneers of new modes of articulation and expression, using the accessible arts forms of circus and cabaret to challenge colonial and class-based notions art. The project is part of the UK/Australia 2021-22 season with the British Council Australia.
The six short films launched today each explore the intersection between creating art and cultural identity:
Big Digital Village - Upswing (UK): Upswing is a leading contemporary circus company using circus to unite people from different backgrounds
Big Digital Village - Casus Circus (Australia): Casus is an established touring company of 16 acrobats that originated in Brisbane. Inclusion and diversity are at the forefront of their work, giving light and energy to stories that are absent from our stages, or heavily stereotyped
Big Digital Village - The Cocoa Butter Club (UK): The Cocoa Butter Club was born as a protest and challenge to the performing arts landscape. They strive to "decolonise & moisturise" the stages of the UK and aboard, providing agency and autonomy.
Big Digital Village - Na Djinang Circus (Australia): Na Djinang Circus is a Melbourne based company working with diverse young artists to share unique insight. Their work imbues traditional and contemporary styles of performance with stories and styles of indigenous performance.
Big Digital Village - Collectif and then... (UK): Lucie Maisha N'Duhirahe is a circus artist and maker of mixed heritage African diaspora. Collectif and then... creates work on a diverse range of platforms, from rural west African regions to London's theatres.
Big Digital Village - House of Alexander (Australia): In the name of Alexander the Great, House of Alexander is Meanjin's (Brisbane) pioneering ballroom house.
Upswing, a diverse led contemporary circus company founded by Vicki Dela Amedume in 2006, are committed to exploring relevant and thought-provoking themes across all their work. Their recent shows include outdoor show Catch Me, which was also presented digitally, and family shows The Ramshackle House and Bedtime Stories. Upswing's productions and creative engagement programmes - which includes Circus in Libraries and Circus for Older People - aim to unite people from different backgrounds through new narratives. They also provide classes and consultancy for companies including the National, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Cameron Mackintosh, for whom they supplied performers as well consultancy for Barnum.
The UK/Australia Season is a major new cultural exchange celebrating the diverse and innovative artist communities and cultural sectors of each nation. A collaboration between the British Council and the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The Season is a vibrant programme spanning theatre, film, visual arts, dance, design, architecture, music, literature, higher education and a public engagement programme. More about the UK/Australia season here https://ukaustraliaseason.com
Films here: https://upswing.org.uk/learning/big-village-digital/
Curated conversation, 22nd March 9am
Available from: https://upswing.org.uk/learning/big-village-digital/
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