Junction 2010 has an action packed conference program with internationally renowned speakers, inspiring sessions and workshops covering topics like ‘the role of arts in bushfire recovery', an interactive workshop ‘dance like a man', ‘the top five disruptive technologies' and a hands on stream including indigenous weaving, speed meeting and walking tours.
The IBSA twilight sessions of PechaKucha IBSA and the open space forum will ensure optimum delegate interaction, encourage networking and germinate critical conversations. Other highlights include a breakfast session hosted by Robyn Archer and Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, and the conference dinner curated by celebrity chef Fiona Hoskin.
Coming together for the first time at a Regional Arts Australia national conference are three of the world's leading community development thinkers: Francois Matarasso from the UK, an independent researcher and writer specialising in community cultural practice, Italian born Ernesto Sirolli, a noted authority in the field of social enterprise and sustainable economic development and Mike White, a UK authority on the role of the arts in health promotion and community health.
Joining them are prominent Australians Mark Pesce - internationally recognized as the man who brought virtual reality into the World Wide Web, Marcus Westbury - broadcaster, writer, media maker and festival director and Jane Bennett - the ABC Radio Australian Rural Woman of the Year (1997) and Regional Development category winner, Young Australian of the Year awards (1998). Other speakers include Brain Ritchie, Lola Greeno, Christine Jeffries-Stokes, Moya Sayer-Jones, Deborah Conway, Elizabeth Walsh, Jane Haley and a rich array of practicing artists, academics, researchers, philosophers, philanthropists, poets, arts enthusiasts and community developers.
Surrounding and intersecting the conference is the Junction Arts Festival, an exuberant show case of wonderful art encompassing theatre, dance, opera, visual arts, writing, installation and more. With mostly free and participatory events which invite and encourage public interaction and involvement, the festival is a celebration of our vibrant local community.
The festival club The Junc Room set in the heart of the Launceston CBD, is open to public every evening and will feature a terrific music program ranging from surf pop to hip hop, and a selection of eclectic cabaret and theatre works from across Australia. Fanning out from the club is a constellation of free events which welcome public participation.
Participate in Haircuts by Children and test your courage by getting a haircut from a ten year old, use our professional Writers in Café's to pen your letters and take a seat at the Couch and look at your world. Get provoked into hilarity and have your laughter recorded with Museum of Mirth, or discuss issues about life and culture in the Wiltja Wiltja or with the elders from meenah mienne in the CBD. Literary enthusiasts can create and print their own zines or read a blog about their festival experiences at our blog spot.
The festival program also includes inspiring performances like the Tasmanian premiere of WeTubeLIVE: a living exhibition of 100 solos ripped from the internet and performed by a diverse group of young Tasmanians, a playful response to the video sharing site YouTube by Stompin, Sex Death and a Cup of Tea: four short plays by the Tasmanian Theatre company, Jane Franklin: a performance using music, narrative and images tracing Jane Franklin's life by Silkweed and Borders: an outstanding short opera work by IHOS.
There are more than 20 visual art exhibitions and thought provoking installations including the premier of the ambitious rrala manta manta by Design Centre Tasmania, an exhibition showcasing contemporary Tasmanian Aboriginal craft and design from across the islands of Tasmania, The Zero Project by acclaimed Indonesian architect Eko Prawoto: an installation created with a zero material budget and Landed: the transformation of one of Launcestons's buildings by illumination artist Cindi Drennin (SA).
So come to the Junction this winter and witness a vibrant Launceston transformed with art designed to interrupt the mundane and inspire the unexpected!
