SAND

SAND is an intercultural, transdisciplinary, practice-led research project. SAND is a rigorous intercultural collaboration that brings diverse & high quality partners together to 1) create a bi-lingual, intercultural performance; 2) for experimental, transdisciplinary artistic exploration and 3) to provide innovative research around intercultural performance practice, transdisciplinary content creation & community engagement. SAND uses a case study methodology to investigate and test inter-cultural performance practice that respectfully navigates cultural and artistic encounter between four cultures (Aboriginal Australia; white Australia; Japan and Pakeha NZ) and that explores cultural understandings of the body and landscape through the universal material of SAND. SAND will investigate, experiment and refine intercultural protocols and creative practice in multiple, iterative creative developments that culminate in a performance at NORPA (Lismore) in 2020. Over a number of years (2017-2020) SAND seeks to develop a range of cultural outcomes (workshops, installations and public performance) that are culturally respectful and culturally resonant for each participating culture. The research outcomes will include an innovative, intercultural performance methodology that draws from transcultural values; an intercultural community engagement framework that has been investigated in multiple geographic and cultural sites and a co-authored journal article.

The SAND project comprises the award-winning, all-female, intercultural theatre company Belloo Creative (of which Kathryn Kelly is company dramaturg); Japanese theatre company, Idiot Savant; Aboriginal choreographer Kirk Page; New Zealand Arts Laureate and installation artist Daniel Belton; cultural evaluation specialist and co-dramaturg, Sandra Gattenhof, NORPA Theatre Company (Lismore); film production company Cutting Edge and QUT. The project has received substantial funding for early stages including from the Australia Council for Belloo Creative to attend the Tokyo Performing Arts Market in 2017, 2018 and 2019) and to undertake a creative development in Tokyo with Idiot Savant (February, 2018). There are a further 4 fully funded creative developments in Australia and Japan from November 2018 to December 2018 to build the physical theatre performance work, ancillary multi-form outcomes and research outputs. While SAND is grounded in live performance, the project partners are also dedicated to digital & multi-form content creation & will produce content for an installation project.

Links to the SAND project:

http://www.belloocreative.com/sand
http://flowstate.southbankcorporation.com.au/sand/
https://www.artour.com.au/artists/sand
https://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/foundations-councils-institutes/australia-japan-foundation/grantees/Pages/sanddance-theatre-installation-with-japanese-and-australian-theatre-companies.aspx
https://www.tpam.or.jp/2012/download/tsc_idiot_savant.pdf
https://tokyotokyofestival.jp/en/