THE BIG GAME - COMMUNITY PROCESS UPDATE - AUGUST 2008
Background
The Big Game community process began in July 2007 with community artist, designer and community consultant Geoff Kennedy running regular workshops with the children at the Carlton housing commission flats. The project continues to grow, allowing workshops at the flats to continue in addition to a residency at the Carlton Primary School. The ideas and artworks from the workshops are providing the backbone to the design, characters and narrative of The Big Game.
Recent Developments
The complex community development elements of The Big Game continue. Our second residency at with the kids at Carlton Primary School concludes this week. The design team Rebecca Clark and Ella Misso have also been designing costumes with kids for characters from the different game worlds - volcano, swamp, rainbow, dice, house and ocean. There were silver dragons, flame boys, lava girls, soccer players, swamp princesses, mermaids, rainbow angels... Their ideas will influence the construction of the Token costumes to be worn by the players. Ania Reynolds, the composer for the Big Game, also came to a workshop to explore ideas for sound scapes with the children. The game's story concept has been initiated by Courtney, one of the children in the Thursday workshop and is about to be put before some artists, to develop a performance style that might work for this in-the-round stage, full of different landscape elements. Courtney has also drawn our main puppet character - The Princess - and Puppet designer Graeme Davis has taken the drawing away to start building her.
Partnerships
The project
continues to develop a number of new partnerships around it:
- A further relationship has been developed with the City of Melbourne’s
six-year long tenant relocation project. Artists Helena Spyrou and Angela
Bailey, are working across the relocation project and The Big Game, assisting us with documentation and extending
our network at the Estate, while children from Polyglot’s workshop process
took part in one of their projects, The
Big Photo.
- A partnership with North Yarra Community Health, who are involved
in our community celebrations on the housing estate
- Several education partners, including the Victorian College of the
Arts, Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE, Fairfield music students and
Carlton Primary School have also assisted with the project to date.
- We also welcome Consul
Goncalves, a student from the Victorian College of the Arts’ Cultural and
Community Development course, who will compile digital stories and help
document the process and various outcomes.
The Next Event
Polyglot is amidst planning its next
August community outcome; a family games event at the Flats. This event will be
a way to involve families in the Big Game process. This will feature
local musicians, foods prepared by resident groups and games games games for
young and old! More information on this event soon.
Let the Big Game Begin August 23 2008
The next community outcome is on the 23 August, 1pm to 3pm, in the Community Room, bottom of building 510 Lygon St, at the Carlton housing estate. This event is an opportunity to present some of the artwork and costumes made by the children at the estate and Carlton Primary School, and also offer the wider community at the flats some information and insight into the project and its process.
There will be food by Michael MacMahon, Relocation Community Worker at the Carlton Housing Estate, music by Polyglot's Ania Reynolds and local musician Fadil Suna(who was involved in Polyglot's High Rise in 2001), artwork and costumes by the children will be exhibited and there will be a whole bunch of games to play hosted by Polyglot. Hope you are able to come!
To download a flyer click here.
The Big Game - Community Outcome 4 October 2008
The community performance of the
Big Game will be at Carlton Primary School on the 4 October 2008. It is shaping up to be a big celebration for
the local community, as this date coincides with the end of Ramadan. All the children that have participated in The Big Game process have made costumes
to wear on the day. We are hoping they
will bring their families to see the wonderful characters they have created, and
together they can play The Big Game.
Future Dates
- The premiere play of the game will be at the Carlton Housing Estate (4 October at Carlton Primary School).
- Melbourne International Festival on 10, 11 and 12 of October at the Arts house Meat Market (North Melbourne) – for details see melbournefestival.com.au.
- The National Gallery of Victoria on 20, 26 and 27 October.
The Big Game is supported by Angior
Foundation, Besen Family Foundation, City of Melbourne, Helen Macpherson Smith
Trust, National Gallery of Victoria, The Ian Potter Foundation and VicHealth.
Polyglot is assisted by Arts Victoria and by the Commonwealth Government
through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
For more information about The Big Game community process, email Artlink Manager Mandy Field.
- New Look Enews
Read Polyglot's new look e-newsletter for all the latest updates: >click here
- The Big Game APAM success
Our Big Game searchlight presentation at APAM was a success. We had loads of meetings and great creative conversations with many interesting people.
- The Big Game at APAM
Polyglot has been invited by the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) to pitch The Big Game as part of their searchlight pitch session in Adelaide on Thurs 25 Feb 2010.
- WBTC rocked Pittsburgh!
We Built This City at IPAY in Pittsburgh on Saturday 23 Jan was a brilliant success! Lots of people came including the media and we had a viewing gallery up the top which gave a brilliant bird's eye view of the city. THANK YOU to all our new American friends (both young and young at heart) who took such pride in building their wonderful creations. We salute you!
