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| In December 2005 there was a
riot in Cronulla, New South Wales. This put the Sutherland Shire on the
international map, causing shock and heartache for Australians across
the country. JUNK THEORY was a forward-looking response to the shock and
hurt in the community that aimed to prove it’s harder to hurt someone
when you know their story.
Throughout 2006 Big hART and young people met regularly, listening
to each other's stories, listening to others in the community, helping
to encourage understanding, respect and empathy. They worked with photographers,
filmmakers, composers, older residents, shipwrights, seafarers, local
business and over 35 local community organisations to |
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| The project was designed
to: > Bring culturally and demographically diverse elements of the community together including social services, special interest groups, sporting groups, arts infrastructure, business, young people and older residents and police. > Breate and showcase a highly visible arts project based on community violence prevention and social harmony strategies. > Counter the negative effects of continued media stories about the riot and the Sutherland Shire community, particularly around the one-year anniversary (December 11, 2006), by promoting positive images of the community. JUNK THEORY was launched on 5 December 2006 at the Cronulla Sailing Club by Mr James Strong, Chairman of the Australia Council for the Arts. Over 250 people came along to celebrate the launch- including a Mr Whippy van! | |||||
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| The Installation At dusk throughout December 2006 and January 2007, around the foreshores of the Port Hacking River and Sydney Harbour, a Chinese Junk was seen gliding past residents, pedestrians, festivalgoers and picnickers. Projected onto its sails were a series of portraits of people who live in the Sutherland Shire, and evocative films and messages responding to themes of alienation, sanctuary, conflagration, 'Chinese whispers' and environment. Shot in both colour and black and white, utilizing both still and moving image, the visual projections were accompanied by music, sound scapes and live performance wafting from the vessel's decks. JUNK THEORY created a beautiful and thought provoking picture of the values and cultures that make up the Emerald City of Sydney, whilst sailing around its beautiful waterways every night. During the Sydney Festival in January audiences picnicked at Jubilee Park, Lavender Bay, Woolwich Dock and Manly Cove, and experienced an intimate 40 minute show from JUNK THEORY, as it danced along the water, making a series of turns and circling in close to the shore, with live singing and dancing in the projections. These performances were accompanied by an on-shore installation of portraits and lights, with young participants offering postcards and fortune cookies. | |||||
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| Audience Over 32,000 people saw JUNK THEORY in Sydney. Over 100 community members participated in the project, from 22 different cultural backgrounds. The media response to JUNK THEORY was sustained over a three-month period, from November 2006 until February 2007. JUNK THEORY was profiled in 81 media segments nationally and internationally, multiplying the reach of the participants' and the project’s key messages. Further Information: | |||||
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