In the Spotlight: Maryann Talia Pau
Update (1/4/2015):
Engage Arts is excited to invite you to our ‘1 Million Stars to End Violence’ weaving workshop, which will be held as part of the U.R{BNE} Festival.
The weaving workshop will be open from 4.30pm – 8.30pm at the BrisStyle IndieTwilight Markets. You are welcome to come at anytime and spend as much time as you like weaving stars.
The 1 Million Stars to End Violence Project
Maryann Talia Pau is a Samoan-Australian artist and weaver, whose weaving project, 1 Million Stars to End Violence, shares a beautiful message of love and hope. Her 1 Million Stars to End Violence installations have been displayed at the National Gallery of Victoria, Gallery artisan, The Sydney Opera House, and in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall as part of the G20 Summit celebrations.
Maryann is a self-taught artist who has been practicing traditional Samoan weaving techniques for the past 12 years. While utilising traditional Samoan materials and weaving techniques is an important part of Maryann’s work, the making process is core to her creative practice. For Maryann, the making process brings spiritual elements of healing, fulfilment, and connections to her work. These spiritual elements are central to her 1 Million Stars to End Violence weaving project.
1 Million Stars to End Violence is an international weaving project that aims to end violence by bringing people together to weave stars. People from around the world are invited to host star weaving workshops, with the aim of creating 1 million stars by 2018. Maryann began the project in Brunswick, Victoria, as a personal response to the tragic rape and murder of Jill Meagher in 2012. She started weaving colourful stars as a token of love, passion and generosity. Soon after, Maryann began organising collective weaving workshops, where people can weave their own stars to contribute to the project. Maryann’s weaving workshops create a space of solidity and generosity; a safe space where people can begin the healing process and deal with terrible acts of violence that effect us all in some way.
Each colourful star tells the story of someone who has been moved to end violence. Whether the weaver has been directly affected by violence or just wants to share their love and support, the 1 Million Stars to End Violence project invites us to come together to bring light, courage, and hope to victims of violence.
All you have to do is follow the instructions, get weaving, and go to the 1 Million Stars website for details on where to send them.
– Danielle
Image 1: Mark Yettica-Paulson, 2013. Courtesy of the artist.
Image 2: 1 Million Stars to End Violence Installation, The Big Design Market Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton. Photograph by Nik Harrison, 2013. Courtesy of the artist.
Image 3: Photograph by Maryann Tali Pau, 2013. Courtesy of the artist.
Graphics | U.R{BNE} Festival 2015
We were delighted to have partnered with the U.R{BNE} Collective for the U.R{BNE} Festival 2015. This year’s festival theme is inspired by the concept of ‘urban acupuncture’—looking at how small interventions can transform the larger urban context.
Engage Arts provided a range of graphics that answered the festival’s theme—to reflect the Brisbane vibe of sunshine and creativity. The festival’s sub-themes required symbols and a strong colour identity that could be used to identify the different aspects of the festival program:
• Body Revitalisations – Food, Urban Adventures, Walks, Exercise
• Soul Inspirations – Art, Music, Performance, Culture
• Mind Interventions – Discussions, Debates, Public Issues
Engage Arts responded rapidly to the brief, working on a tight turn-around to ensure all the graphics were ready for the festival’s launch. The identity makes use of three distinct colours and prominent symbols that provide an abstract representation of the ‘urban acupuncture’. We completed a suite of graphics including the following:
- Web and Facebook Banner image
- Festival Posters
- Graphic Symbols
- Weebly Website Update
U.R{BNE} Collective were very pleased with the graphics and would be happy to collaborate with us again. Click here to view the updated the U.R{BNE} Collective website and Facebook page.
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- Body Symbol
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- Soul Symbol
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- Mind Symbol
In The Spotlight: Lauren Edmonds
When I first saw the work of emerging multi-media artist, Lauren Edmonds, I was immediately drawn to its Orwellian vibe.[1] Based in Brisbane, Edmonds’ provoking works confront us with current social and political issues. Her work considers the role the news industry plays in pushing particular viewpoints to a mass audience. Whilst critically examining political and social issues, her work offers alternative viewpoints that encourage us to question our perspectives on such issues.
Edmonds captures our attention through multimedia works that combine numerous mediums including object-based installation, projections, animation, film, and interactive components. Her installation work News Factory (2014) investigates a number of underlying issues and the implications of the news industry. Edmonds’ observations of the power of the news media began when she took note of the rise and fall of Kevin Rudd, as the once supportive media judgment turned negative. Edmonds states “I saw these events as an example of the media’s power when it comes to public opinion and politics.” Frustration and interest in this topic influenced Edmonds to conduct research that has informed works like News Factory
The video component of News Factory depicts unnerving scenes of a large, faceless figure dripping black ink into a fish bowl. Throughout the video I felt a sense of suffocating unease, as the black ink obscured the scene in front of me. The ink submerges and overpowers small plasticine people who are then moulded together in a tight ball by the manipulative faceless figure.
Edmonds uses symbolic elements such as the figure with no face or identity, a cunning fox, and dark ink to represent the hidden agendas of the news industry. These symbolic references are juxtaposed against the innocent looking pink of the plasticine people, suggesting the capacity for manipulation and control through the distortion of information.
Discovering Edmonds’ work made me question the role that art plays in provoking activism in social and political change. Is it the role of the artist to draw attention to issues in society that they feel need to be reconsidered? And how successful can artists be in delivering alternative viewpoints on political and social issues? Edmonds summed it up perfectly stating, “Personally I believe, given the diverse ways in which art has benefited society and progressive thinking in the past and present, it doesn’t seem farfetched to think that art can have a significant role in activism or protest.” Edmonds goes on to argue that the success of art as protest depends on how well it is orchestrated.
There will always be conflicting viewpoints as to whether art should remain separated from politics or used as a tool for protest. Regardless of your views on art as protest, artists like Edmonds unquestionably spark thoughts and conversations around the issues she presents. News Factory certainly got me thinking about the importance of critical examination and the ongoing relevance in forming our own opinions on social and political issues.
Stills from News Factory are currently on display at the Student Gallery in King George Square car park, Brisbane CBD, as part of Brisbane City Council’s Vibrant Laneways Art Program. Visit Edmonds’ website to keep up-to-date with upcoming projects and exhibitions.
Danielle
[1] For those of who you haven’t read George Orwell’s famous book 1984, I suggest you go grab a copy right now!
Image credits: Lauren Edmonds, stills from News Factory, 2014. Courtesy of the artist.
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