Information and Cultural Exchange: The Ancient Art of Storytelling in the Digital Age

MEDIA RELEASE

The Ancient Art of Storytelling in the Digital Age

Released 11 June 2009

Information and Cultural Exchange
PO Box 4033 Parramatta NSW 2124 Australia
T: +61(2) 9897 5744 / F: +61(2) 9897 5766

From stones and ochre to video cameras and technology, digital storytelling or Digitales are the latest ways to share cultural stories.

Seamlessly combining traditional storytelling methods with still and moving images, audio, music, text and digital media, Digitales are personal snapshots with amazing impact. Part of the ‘Digital Storytelling: Sustainability and Community Media in Western Sydney’ project, Fairfield Stories tells tales of journeys, love, struggle and hope as experienced by people of Cambodian and African backgrounds.

Aiming to provide the wider community with insights into the experiences and stories of refugee and migrant communities, Fairfield Stories is focused on creating greater cultural understanding and encouraging recognition of the contribution these people are making to our Australian way of life. Fairfield Stories documents the diverse histories of emerging communities in Western Sydney around the themes of migration, belonging and cultural sustainability.

As a key component of the project, pioneers of the Digitales movement in Australia, the Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE), in conjunction with the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and Fairfield City Council (FCC) ran intensive workshops with specialist Digitales trainers to enable the young filmmakers tell their digital stories. Saturday 20th June will see an exciting FREE Digitales showcase event featuring the most vivid, moving and thought-provoking works from the Fairfield Stories initiative.

Lena Nahlous, Executive Director of ICE is particularly looking forward to the launch of Fairfield Stories. “This project has been an amazing experience. It has been about so much more than bringing people together to share stories and learn new skills. Fairfield’s African and Cambodian communities have created beautiful stories and we see their experiences and strengths, hopes and desires for a new life in Australia shining through,” she said.

“Fairfield Stories has been an opportunity for UWS to work in partnership with ICE, FCC and an outstanding group of young and aspiring media makers from emerging communities in Western Sydney. Through a participatory research project funded by the UWS Sustainability Research Grant, this project was set up as a distinctive way of carrying out participatory and practice-led action research for mutual benefit of UWS, its partners and communities,” said Juan Salazar, UWS.

An inspiring, must see event, Fairfield Stories is taking place on Saturday 20th June, 2009 from 2-4pm at Cabravale Leisure Centre, Cabravale. Spaces are limited so to be sure not to miss out, please RSVP to ICE on (02) 9897 5744 or email info@ice.org.au

Project partners include; ICE, the University of Western Sydney (UWS), Fairfield City Council, The Foundation for Young Australians and SWITCH Multimedia and Digital Arts Access Centre. ICE core funding and support include; Australia Council, NSW Film and Television Office (FTO), Arts NSW and Parramatta City Council.