In 2019 CMVic partnered with The Living Circle and The Gippsland Singers Network to establish the Making Connections project. It features intercultural arts activities involving creative collaborations between Aboriginal Elders, children, linguistic advisors and musicians. The project uses music to bring people of different cultures and ages together, to deepen environmental awareness and to contribute to the process of creative language revival. The Making Connections project is run in collaboration with The Gippsland Singers Network and received funding from The Bass Coast Shire Council and Destination Philip Island. In 2019, activities involving songs with Aboriginal language were integrated into events on Bunurong/Boon Wurrung Country. Songs sung on Bunurong/Boon Wurrung Country contained language gifted by Traditional Custodian Aunty Fay Stewart-Muir.
Details of all the activities that took place in 2019 can be found here.
Activities in 2019 included:
- Intercultural Arts Program Phillip Island Whale Festival
‘Whale Dreaming on Millowl’ - Commissions and Creative Collaborations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and musicians at the Phillip Island Whale Festival:
- ‘Ye-Erembine Whale Song’, Rob Bundle
- ‘A Love Song’, Michael Jordan
- ‘Songs of Life and Love,’ Steve Sedergreen
- ‘Mammal Sonic’ ,Anthony ‘ToK’ Norris
- ‘Jazz Response to Impossible Gestures’, Ron Murray, ToK Norris, Steve Sedergreen, Michael Jordan
- ‘A Memorial for the Trees’, Community Environmental Activity, Phillip Island
- ‘Heads in the Sand’, Intercultural Arts at Climate Action Event, Inverloch
- ‘Musicians in Climate Activism - Nicki Johnson’, Environmental Research Project on Community Musicians
- ‘St John’s Vocal Nosh on Millowl’, Intercultural Community Singing Event
- Professional Development for Bass Coast Children’s Centre involving Intercultural Arts ‘Facilitating Cultural Awareness and Language Revival through Music’
A short film ‘To the Earth’ provides an example of the Songs of Country and Connection project in practice. https://vimeo.com/316682273
The Making Connections project is run in collaboration with The Gippsland Singers Network and received funding from The Bass Coast Shire Council and Destination Philip Island.