Category: Entertainment

DENMARK songstress and human rights activist Dawn Barrington continues to blend two of her passions as she take her message to the masses.

Barrington was first properly introduced to music seven years ago when she attended a local TAFE music program.

“I went to go and do something for a bit or fun and then I guess I got a bit carried away,” she said.

“I was working with a guy called Tony King who is a brilliant teacher.

“He just continues to plant seeds around Denmark, which is great for growing local talents.”

Barrington’s music developed into a sound she was already very familiar with as part of the local bar and café music scene.

“I usually describe it as contemporary folk, folk-rock maybe,” she said.

“It’s along the lines of what I think a lot of solo acoustic acts do these days.

“If you’re not blues, you’re simply folk. I guess it’s that kind of thing.”

Barrington explained how her music and activism became more strongly connected over the years.

“I’ve always been a writer, so that’s probably the thread that got me into it,” she said.

“A lot of my stuff is activist-based; it’s about social and environmental issues.”

This was the spark for her latest collaborative project Music From Manus.

Music From Manus is a 40-minute documentary by filmmaker Tim Maisey.

It centres around Barrington’s journey to Manus Island to meet the refugees and to connect with them on a musical level.

“I guess my main goal is to let the world know that they’re just innocent people; they’re real humans like me and you.”

When asked why she chose to do this through music, Barrington told The Weekender that it was the only way she could.

“I’m not a social worker and I’m not a support worker, but I was connected with the guys working on Manus Island through music,” she said.

“When I started to learn about how bad it was and how lovely the guys there were, I knew I wanted to go there and play for them.”

She got in contact with Maisey and travelled to the island in March.

After they had arrived back in Australia and Maisey had completed the film, Dawn took to showcasing their work to as many people as possible.

“I took it all over East,” she said.

“I did screenings over there and here in WA, met loads of people through it, and got an amazing response.”

Through doing something like this on such a big scale, Barrington began to realise that she was becoming a better musician.

“It’s brought a new life to my music and songwriting,” she said.

“I guess you could say it’s my purpose.”

ANCIENT Irish archaeological sites and the Baltics are on the list of places to visit for Albany sculptor Kevin Draper following his win of a $30,000 art scholarship.

Draper is one of three artists to receive the Helen Lempriere Scholarship, an award designed to enable artists to further their artistic development through travel, study and the purchase of new equipment.

The money is also to be used to support the artists’ inclusion in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi which begins on October 14.

Draper won the scholarship as a mid-career artist, alongside emerging artist Britt Mikkelsen and senior artist Hossein Valamanesh.

Draper began the year with his black-and-white 16-branch tree sculpture Configuration featuring in the Cottesloe Sculpture by the Sea, so being part of the Bondi exhibition for the sixth time and winning the scholarship has added more excitement to his year.

“It’s a very artist-friendly scholarship,” Draper said of the grant.

“My first thought was, well, I could buy new art materials, but it should be used for something special and a bit different.

“Travel is always a good option.”

Draper said he is normally only able to stay for the installation period at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, so has decided part of the scholarship will go towards a longer stay in Sydney.

He plans to stay for the entire period of the sculpture show with his partner, Indra before travelling up and down the east coast visiting regional art centres.

“We’ve never had time to do that before,” Draper said.

But the travelling art research won’t stop there.

Come June next year, Draper plans to whisk himself and Indra away to Ireland, the Baltic states, the top of Scotland and potentially Berlin.

He also hopes to travel through Sweden and Norway to explore a few outdoor sculpture parks.

“I’m of Irish descent on my mum’s side, and her family’s original farm is still in Northern Ireland,” Draper said.

“There’s some ancient archaeological sites on the edge of Ireland too, and it all influences my work – how farmers use the landscape and my heritage.

“So, that will be a starting point…I’m not sure what I’ll find.”

Draper said he finds the symbology and language of Northern Europe interesting and is keen to visit a number of European art galleries.

“I’ve always been influenced by where I live and have travelled to,” he said.

“There’s just something about ancestry and the thousands of years of history that I don’t have over here [in Australia].”

Draper’s sculpture installation Configuration can be viewed at Bondi Beach from October 18 until November 4.

CENTENARY commemorations for the end of World War I will extend into the theatre this November with Albany Light Opera and Theatre Company’s production It’s Been a Long, Long Time.

Director Susie McIntosh said the musical tribute review will showcase the songs that “boosted morale” during the first and second world wars, as well as bookend a previous production the company produced.

ALOTCo performed Sing As We Go in 2015 as part of the initial centenary commemorations in memory of the Anzacs, and McIntosh said It’s Been a Long, Long Time had been in the pipeline since then.

“We always spoke about a follow-up production,” she said.

“But it has evolved since we first started talking about it.”

It’s Been a Long, Long Time will feature songs, visual presentations, poetry, dance and audience participation to celebrate the end of war time, but also reflect on the circumstances people found themselves in once guns were laid down.

Artistic director Findlay MacNish reflected on how it wasn’t all smiles come Armistice Day.

“After the initial ‘hooray, the war is over’, people realised that things weren’t fantastic,” he said.

“The end of the war didn’t mean the end of pain.

“Everyone still needed jollity to keep them going, so this show is about the music that boosted morale in that time.”

McIntosh said the production had been specifically worked on for the past five to six months and has included the efforts of a cast of 30 people, ranging from ages 16 to 91.

“This is our third week of rehearsals,” he said.

“We are rehearsing songs at the moment and it’s sounding really lovely.”

Other than rehearsals, the cast and crew are busy organising country flags and poppies, of which a sea of them will be strewn across the theatre.

And of course, making sure there will be enough tea and Anzac biscuits to go around.

It’s Been A Long, Long Time will play on November 3, 4, 9and 10and tickets are available now from Paperbark Merchants.

THE second instalment of Denmark choreographer Annette Carmichael’s The Beauty Index will be performed next month following part one’s finalist listing in the 2018 Australian Dance Awards.

A Light Shade of Red will take centre stage at the Albany Entertainment Centre on October 19 and 20 and feature dancers aged 16 to 26 from the Great Southern.

It will explore a palette of emotions evoked by Armistice Day to tie in with the centenary celebrations which will commence in Albany in November.

Carmichael said the production took two years to develop and is similar to being in a dream, where “layers upon layers of images wash over you”.

“There is no single story, but the intent and commitment of the performers is to lead you through the experience,” she said.

“My War? [the previous production] was for the centenary of Anzac Day and it felt right that we created another performance for the centenary of Armistice Day.”

A Light Shade of Red was selected as the title name by Carmichael to evoke the dawning of the sun, which she said is an important time of day for reflection.

“The colour red means so much, from anger and violence to hope and joy,” she said.

“That moment between night and day when we are filled with the potential of what is to come… that seemed a good fit for the feeling of Armistice.

“What is the potential of humanity when we lay down our guns?”

The Beauty Index saga will continue with Carmichael’s third instalment, Chorus now underway.

Chorus is currently in production and will be a dance project for 200 women to perform in 2020.

Carmichael said a number of women of all ages and experiences have already joined in the project, but if anyone is interested, they can subscribe to her e-news via annettecarmichael.com.au.

Tickets for A Light Shade of Red can be purchased via the AEC Box Office or online via tickets.ptt.wa.gov.au.