
Indo-Pacific Experience
- Japan
- Korea
- Sri Lanka
Past and current projects
SAND PROJECT
The SAND project is an intercultural, transdisciplinary, practice-led research project 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 (First Nations Australians; non-First Nations Australians; Japan and Pakeha NZ) and that explores cultural understandings of the body and landscape through the universal material of SAND. Funding includes DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2018 + 2021), Creative Australia, Arts Queensland, Catalyst, Brisbane City Council. Key Non-Traditional Research Outputs include: SAND, 2018 Flowstate Performance at the Southbank Parklands, HOUSE IN THE DUNES, Taison Temple, Tokyo, 2020, AKIRUNO in 2021 as part of the Tokyo Tokyo Festival as part of the Tokyo Olympic Games Arts and Cultural Festival and SAND 2024 Redlands Performing Arts Centre with Taikoz. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/249351/.
BACK TO BILO
Is the culmination of a four year project to work with the community of Biloela to bring the story of the Nasal.
Dr Kathryn Kelly’s theatre company, Belloo Creative was programmed in the 2025 Queensland Theatre Company season with their new work, Back to Bilo: https://queenslandtheatre.com.au/plays/back-to-bilo This is a true-life story of the Nadesalingam family, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and the small regional town of Biloela that fought tirelessly to bring them home from detention. Back to Bilo has also won prestigious Major Festivals Investment (MFI) funding from Creative Australia, so it will debut at the Darwin, Brisbane and Perth Festivals, as well as being toured regionally by national producer Performing Lines. This production continues Dr Kelly’s investigation of dramaturgy and community engagement for social impact, looking at ways that performance practice can intervene in broader social, cultural and political issues in Australian society.