PLATFORM Youth Arts & Culture Magazine
ISSUE 4 2014 – What is your dream?
Has anyone ever asked you, “What is your dream?” And what did you tell them? Did you say, “I’m still figuring it out” or “I’m living the dream” – as if to palm it off and not have to give an actual answer? Did you take some time to think about it and then say something reasonable, realistic and within your current reach? Or did you, like many of the young people featured in Issue 4 of PLATFORM Magazine, within the blink of an eye, dream big!? With a response like 19 year old artist Mauli Nethery, “To be a super hero!” (pages 12-13). Or digital
media expert, Will Joseph’s dream to escape to the snowy Alps, work from home and snowboard every day (pages 30-31). Dreaming, and dreaming without limitation, irrespective of age, gender, situation or skill, is crucial to being able to achieve above and beyond your wildest dreams. Dare to be a dreamer, to reach higher and further than the eye can see. Dare to think outside the box, to do the unexpected and achieve more than you ever thought possible. Polly Dance Editor of PLATFORM
Cover Image: Jess Rowland See and read more about Jess and her arts practice on pages 14-15.
Disclaimer All content in PLATFORM Magazine remain the property of the Hobart City Council and all content is copyright to Hobart City Council and cannot be reproduced without written consent from the Hobart City Council and Youth Arts & Recreation Centre. In all cases signed consent has been received for the publication of photos and comment in this Issue of PLATFORM Magazine. Hobart City Council will not be liable for incorrect use of information in this publication. The opinions expressed in PLATFORM Magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the Hobart City Council and the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre.
PLATFORM
Editorial
INTERVIEW Chase City ......................................................................................... 06
Written by Polly Dance
FEATURE Zac Henderson .............................................................................. 08
Written by Bridget Hickey
MUSIC WORKSHOPS Tuesday Crew .................................................................. 10 Written by Tim Chivers
ART SPEAK Mauli Nethery ........................................................................... 12 Written by Polly Dance
FEATURE Jess Materia–Rowland .................................................................... 14 Written by Maddie Kramer
ART WORKSHOPS Manga ............................................................................. 16
Written by Mathew Morrisby
STORY Daniel Breen ...............................................................................
18
Written by Polly Dance
DANCE WORKSHOPS .........................................................................
Written by Polly Dance
20
INTERVIEW Tash Matthews ..................................................................
22
Written by Maya von Allmen
RECREATION VOX POP ...................................................................... Written by Polly Dance
23
ACTIVATION Youth Mall Showcases ...................................................
24
FEATURE Madelyne Kramer ....................................................................... 26 Written by Polly Dance
PROFILE Will Joseph................................................................................ Written by Atak Ngor
EVENT Light Up the Lane .................................................................
30
PARTNERSHIP Same journey, different adventure.........................
Written by CREATE Youth Consultants
PLATFORM
Contents
28
32
EDITOR Polly Dance |Editor of PLATFORM | Youth Participation Worker Polly has a love/hate relationship with words. Some days they are the best of friends, others they’re not even on speaking terms.
WRITERS Maddie Kramer | Journalism and Photography Student Maddie is a 21 year old graduate in journalism and photography. She enjoys writing about and photographing life and everything in it, check out: www.madelynekramer.tumblr.com Mathew Morrisby | Fine Art Student Mathew is an aspiring graphic designer, artist and novelist. He has a penchant for emotive imagery and a deep interest in the human condition. Bridget Hickey | Fine Art Student and Freelance Writer When Bridget grows up, she wants to be an artist and writer. She’s currently studying a Bachelor of Arts and Fine Arts, and co-hosts the arts radio show Plain Air on Edge Radio. Maya von Allmen | EdZone Student and Model Maya is 16 years old and she enjoys dancing but not exercise. She loves dancing, fashion, motorbike riding and hanging with friends. Atak Ngor | Guilford Young College Student and Writer Atak Ngor is an aspiring screenplay writer and an actor known for his disturbing on-screen presence.
Tim Chivers | Guilford Young College Student Tim is a 17 year old dedicated musician. He enjoys doing nothing, with a little bit of creative writing on the side.
PLATFORM
Contributors
PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Cook | Hobart College Student and Photographer Chris is a commercial photographer and enthusiastic composer. He’s a health nut and does backflips at the bus stop. Jiemba Sands | Circus Performer and Stunt Performer When it comes to filming, Jiemba likes to work in front of, and behind the camera. He likes to keep fit and healthy, and is training to take his stunts to the next level. Jess Materia-Rowland | Friends’, Clemes College Student and Aspiring Artist Jess is an artist at heart. You’ll find her with a paintbrush in one hand, a cup of tea in the other, and a camera on her hip, like it’s another limb.
Joel Imber | Youth Arts Officer Joel runs a variety of creative workshops for young people. He is a big kid. He is passionate about funk and soul music, Hip Hop culture, and it’s not uncommon to find him recording in the music studio or breaking it down on the dance floor.
DESIGNERS Jess Smart |Visual Communication Student Jess is a Visual Communication student in her final semester, and is constantly biting off more than she can chew. She enjoys having naps and getting a little too into hockey matches. Saxon Rodman |Visual Communication Student Saxon is a young designer who is about to be thrown into the terrifyingly real world. He is an over thinker, stresses about nothing, and seeks comfort in chicken nuggets.
PLATFORM
Contributors
Awarded Triple J’s Unearthed Feature Artist for the Falls Festival 2013, Chase City is fast becoming one of Tasmania’s most popular bands. This indie folk pop band describes their style as ‘surf rock’ and once you’ve heard their music, you’ll be humming it all day! Chase City consists of Tarik, Michael, Peter and Jed. Tell me a bit about yourselves and what each one of you brings to the band. We are Chase City, we are a Hobart based indie pop rock band. We love to party, tour and release music. There are quite a few personalities in the band. Michael our drummer, is into outdoor stuff like rock climbing and kayaking. In his spare time he teaches Outdoor Ed as a teacher’s aide and busks in Glenorchy. Jed Appleton is our bass player. He has collaborated with almost every artist in the State and also does his own solo stuff. Peter is our guitarist, an electrician in his spare time and loves to go to the Tele for a parmi. Tarik is our singer and is a massive fan of FIFA.
How did Chase City come to be? When did the 4 of you start playing together? Michael, Peter and Tarik started jamming together in college. We had dreams of playing gigs and just having fun with our music. At some stage we decided to take ourselves seriously, got Jed on-board; he added a great new layer to the line-up. We are all really great mates and have some of the best times away together. You’ve had a big year! What have been some of the highlights? This year has been long and busy for us. We started by recording our debut EP ‘Winter Dawn’ releasing that and then heading off on two national tours. We have played all around the country in the weirdest and also greatest little venues. Last year, Triple J picked us to open the Falls Festival and picked us as their feature artist for a year. Falls was a crazy experience and the radio play opened a lot of doors for us. Since then, we have supported some great bands such as British India, Loon Lake, The Holidays, Millions, Yacht Club DJ’s and heaps more.
Recently, we recorded a new release with Lachlan Goold (Midnight Oil, Regurgitator, Jungle Giants) and just released our brand new single ‘Go Back’. We are just about to head off on another huge tour to celebrate and promote that release! What opportunities have you had as young musos in Hobart? Hobart is a great place to start. It’s very welcoming and it’s not too hard to get a gig. It makes it easy to hone your craft and play the circuit and release some music. I think it’s a great place to meet other musos and really get a network happening to further your career. How would you describe your style? We play a very energetic and upbeat brand of music. People compare us to the likes of The Wombats and Vampire Weekend; however we have our own Tassie take on it. We try to make simple, catchy and summery music for people to relax to.
What inspires your song writing? My (Tarik) song writing is very weird. It just seems to come to me at random times and I will have it there and then. We then jam it as a band and everyone adds their bits. By the time the song is released, it’s a totally different thing and it’s amazing to see the influence band members and producers can have on a song that I first started writing in my bedroom! What is the ‘big dream’ for Chase City? At the moment we are still very early on in our path. We have had a lot of good things go right and have put insane amounts of money, effort and time into putting ourselves in the right places. At the moment, we are releasing singles and touring. We have plans to do an album early next year. We are enjoying the journey and love meeting new people, travelling and playing shows. That is the dream! Check out Chase City online: https://www.facebook.com/ChaseCityTas https://www.triplejunearthed.com/artist/chase-city YouTube Channel: Chase City Image: Kishka Jensen
Images: Freya Monk
You might have heard his music in the streets, the catchy melodies echoing through the city. Or have seen his vibrant paintings on display. Or perhaps you’ve smiled at the quirky band name, The Surreal Estate Agents. Bridget Hickey sat down with 17 year old Zac Henderson, the man behind this creativity. Tell me about yourself and your music. I’ve always loved music. I started playing trumpet in Grade 6 but it wasn’t until Grade 8 when I picked up a guitar. From there it all started to unfold. People started to listen and I realised that I could actually take that somewhere. You’re an evocative lyricist. How do lyrics come to you? How do you write a song? I felt alienated during High School and so I spent a lot of time in my head, thinking things out, forming narratives in my head. That’s the spawn of it, I guess! It’s actually on my quieter days when I’ll just sit down and start with one line and before I know it, I’ve got two pages written down. I often don’t know the story I’m telling, until I read it back to myself. Even some of my songs that I wrote FEATURE
years ago, I look back on and I’ll relate to in a completely different way to when I wrote it. I guess it’s to do with interpretation, because something that I write can mean one thing to me, but to someone else can be a whole other story. I always try to keep a gap for people to interpret their own story. How do you do that? I speak metaphorically, but leave enough there to set up the framework of a story. As long as you can set it up but leave bits that leave a question in people’s heads. It’s like poetry, there’s always a lot of room for the words to breathe. What inspires you to make music and art? I don’t know really... It’s somewhere in me. I’ve never really been academic. I’ve always painted pictures and written things down and that’s always been a part of my life. Inspiration can come from anywhere; it doesn’t really derive from one thing. I just put my hand in the bucket and take this and take that from listening to other people’s music and looking at other peoples paintings. Zac Henderson
Do you write from lived experience? Sometimes...I sort of reflect on myself in the third person when I write. It’s my chance to analyse myself, but put it into the perspective of someone else. I find it’s a good way to tackle the things going on in your life, without referring to yourself directly.
“It’s somewhere in me.” If you could describe your music in one sentence, what would you say? The band, The Surreal Estate Agents – create a cosmic narrative soundscape. I’d describe myself as an acoustic storyteller – I try to take people on a journey away from their everyday life, to make people think and escape from it all, slip away for a while, take a little holiday, in a song.
“That’s the most magical thing about music, when you can disappear into a song. “
Eventually I got somewhere. Music can take you a lot of places. From busking, we got down to the Falls Festival! It’s just incredible! What are your plans for the future? I see the band being my main focus for the future. We’re getting more gigs than we have time for. We’re recording our EP at the moment, so finishing that and doing more recordings. I want to tour around and see how much further I can get with music. What is your ultimate dream?
What do you get from music, both making music and playing it? It’s given me so many opportunities. I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I’ve met a lot of people. I’ve made a lot of friends. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t push for it with my music. My parents used to block their ears when I practised in my room, but I wanted this more than anything else. Day in, day out, I’d sound terrible but just keep trying. FEATURE
My ultimate dream is to intrigue people. Whether it’s a million people or three, it doesn’t really matter. Just to get someone on a deeper level and hit them for one moment. Another dream would be to play at a festival with thousands and thousands of people and hit everybody right in the right spot; that would be amazing! That’s the big dream... I mean I can dream for days! I’m a dreamer!
Like and listen to Zac Henderson online: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-SurrealEstate-Agents/1462032700688669 http://soundcloud.com/zachenderson1 YouTube Channel: Zac Henderson Zac Henderson
Are you an aspiring, young musician? Do you dream of refining your musical talent and joining a community of other young musicians? Well, I (Tim Chivers) have great news! Every Tuesday from 3:30-5:30pm, the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre hosts a variety of free music workshops, from song writing to music production. These small and intimate groups are a great environment for young musicians to collaborate and expand their musical experiences. The workshops accept musicians of all kinds. This includes people who are experienced, people who are just starting out and people who appreciate any genre of music. Even you! Joel Imber, Youth Arts Officer at the Youth Arts and Recreation Centre is currently running the song writing and production workshops and strives to create a relaxed environment. He is a talented, experienced and soulful musician with extensive knowledge of music production. Thanks to Joel, the Tuesday Crew have enjoyed the awesome BUNKER recording studio, free pizza and our own photo in Pulse magazine with Hannah’s famous guitar. Hannah joined the workshops as a newbie to MUSIC WORKSHOPS
public performance but with a lifetime of talent and practice under her wing, it wasn’t long until she grew as a confident musician and found her feet in this inclusive, constructive environment. Jamie was invited to the workshops by Hannah. Almost immediately, she was accepted and began coming every week. She and Hannah have grown as musicians together, and now frequently collaborate. They are a perfect example of how the Tuesday workshops can bring musical friends together, and why you should bring friends of your own along! As Jamie said,
“It’s nice to be around people who ‘get’ music. “ “I suppose at school I’m not really around people who get the same thing as me, so it’s kind of nice to be around the same kind of people... It’s more relaxed.” Lloyd, who we’ve nicknamed Vince, is a drummer who comes from a community of talented musicians. Not only is he modest, considerate and a great conversationalist, he is enthusiastic about song writing and enjoys a wide range Tuesday Crew
Images: Chris Cook
of music. When asked about his experience in the song writing workshops, he replied, “Oh, the experience is beautiful. The creation of music is indescribable.... the art of musical composition has a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that can only be experienced in comfortable environments such as this. ”
He recently expressed his fondness of the workshops:
“I’ve come a long way in my song writing. “ “I think being able to work with a lot of likeminded people has been able to open my mind up to new possibilities.” Also, as a frequent collaborator with yours truly, he had this to say about the workshop: “It’s given us a chance to blossom as a duo in our collaborative style. We’re both solo artists but this has really brought us together.” So you’ve heard the facts, praise and the good news. Come join this party of beautiful people, and come be beautiful with us! It’s fun, free, and friendly!
Jonty is an inspired musician with a passion for his art and a good hot chocolate. The workshops have helped him to connect with people who share his passions and expand his creative horizons. MUSIC WORKSHOPS
You can visit http://www.youthartsandrec.org/ whats-on/ to see what workshops are available, so grab a friend, a guitar, a slice of pizza and contact Joel Imber on imberj@hobartcity.com.au to book your spot in the Music Workshops today!
Tuesday Crew
Image: Hobart Photography Community
Mauli is 19 and is quite the character. As a child she changed her name from Molly to Mauli. Her dream job is to be a super hero and she lives and breathes all things K-Pop, Manga, Anime and Cosplay. Polly Dance, Editor of PLATFORM interviewed Miss Mauli about her love of art and fashion. How and when did you first become interested in Manga, Anime and Cosplay? Growing up, I was always watching Japanese animation and I never watched western things. I just discovered Disney two years ago. People think I had a sheltered childhood, but it was just that I was interested in different things. I also played a lot of video games growing up. It was mostly because my older brother, who is five and half years older than me, influenced me. I was actually quite the tomboy until I was about 14-15 years old and then I got really girly and realised, ‘I ART SPEAK
like makeup’ and ‘I like dresses’, ‘I wanna look pretty!’ When did you start painting and drawing? A friend that I went to high school with drew all the time, so I drew with her. We used to do comics together. She’d start it and then I’d write a reply and so it was like we created our own little stories. At the start, I was influenced by her drawing then I discovered my own style a few years later. How would you describe your style? It’s sort of verging more on the fantasy side of Manga style. It’s not like the obvious style with the big eyes, big hair, coloured hair. I don’t usually go with that, I try to make it more fantasy, like elfin almost.
Mauli Nerthery
I discovered my own style a few years later. How do your characters manifest? Mostly I do my own characters, sometimes I’ll copy one that’s produced by somebody else who I’m a fan of. I’m a Cosplayer, so if I’m making the costume of a character I’ll draw the character first, just to get more of a feel for how the costume would sit.
The Manga Workshops that you’ve been teaching at the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre have been ‘going off’! What do you think it is about Manga, Anime and comic books that attracts young people? I think it’s because there’s such a wide range of characters and stories that different people can relate to. There’s not one mainstream one that everyone likes, there’s all these different, small ones.
What was your recent Cosplay? That was Kid Flash or a female version of Kid Flash. It was a bit difficult to make because the character is such a boy and it was hard to turn that into a female character, so I thought she would be a tomboy, someone who hangs out with the boys. So I always drew her in tomboy stances. Art: Mauli Nethery
Image: Timothy Webb
Tell me about your name? My birth name is Molly but I use Mauli as my online alias. That was the name my brother gave to me when I was little. My brother’s name is Calum, but he changed it to Kalim, and I was like, “OMG! That’s so cool!” So I got him to make one for me too. That’s just how everyone knows me now. People are always surprised when they find out it’s not my real name. I go by ‘Mauli Chu’ for some of my online profiles because I’m like a mouse as I speak so quietly. Chu is the Japanese word for the noise a mouse makes. What are your hopes and dreams?
My ultimate dream is to be a super hero! Is make-up a big part of Cosplay?
I’d like to be a professional costume designer, hopefully in theatre or it’d be really cool to design character costumes for comics, Anime, Manga or video games.
Yeah! It’s like doing art on your face! Do you have props as well? Yes, but it depends as props can define the character. One of my favourites is Nagisa Motomiya and I always have a microphone with her. Or with one I did for the AiCon contest this year, I had a big staff and a plush cat that I made.
ART SPEAK
See Mauli’s artwork online: http://mauli-chu.tumblr.com https://www.facebook.com/pricessmaulichu YouTube Channel: Miss Mauli
Mauli Nerthery
Images: Jess Materia-Rowland
17 year old, Jess Materia-Rowland is an aspiring artist working towards her dream of becoming a photo-journalist and studying Fine Arts. When regular PLATFORM writer Maddie Kramer met up with Jess to talk about her arts practice, Jess shared that there is rarely a day when she isn’t doing something creative, it has become a way of life for her.
ideas and find inspiration, Jess prefers to use a good old fashion A3 sketchbook to write her notes in while she goes about her everyday life. She often has ‘light bulb’ moments in mundane places like on the bus to school or while she’s chatting with friends. With her trusty journal at hand, it is easy for her to quickly make note of these ideas on paper before they are forgotten.
Jess has been interested in art for as long as she can remember. When she was younger, her parents would give her pencils and paper to stop her from crying. She has been drawing ever since then and recently started painting. She says she feels like she has finally developed her own style this year. It’s rare that you’ll find Jess without her journal and her camera close by. She is constantly jotting down notes, drawing sketches and taking photos of things that inspire her as an artist. “A camera and journal is generally what I carry with me, they are the first things that I’ll try to fit into my handbag.” While a lot of young artists use the Internet and sites like Tumblr and Pinterest to document their FEATURE
Jess likes a challenge and is constantly striving for excellence in all aspects of her daily life. As well as completing year 11, Jess also teaches and trains in Taekwondo three nights a week. The sport has helped to develop her strength, flexibility and balancing skills and now she Jess Materia-Rowland
Art (detail): Jess Materia-Rowland
is passing on her knowledge to younger participants and thoroughly enjoying it. On top of that, Jess has just completed a 9 week Fine Art course unit at UTAS. It is her ‘can do’ attitude and willingness to learn and succeed in all her endeavours that tells me Jess is destined for great things. Jess hasn’t been painting for very long and admits it was a step outside her comfort zone. “This year, doing painting was kind of a step away from what I usually do and at the beginning it pushed me a lot.”
Jess’ recent paintings are extremely detailed and as she explained to me they are also quite time consuming. Jess said, “I’ve got the habit of choosing subjects that are just really difficult to do.” But from everything that Jess told me, I got the feeling that she is the sort of person who loves a challenge! FEATURE
“This year, doing painting was kind of a step away from what I usually do and at the beginning it pushed me a lot.” The combination of portraiture and nature is a common theme in Jess’ work and was also the inspiration behind the cover artwork for this issue of PLATFORM Magazine. Being a painter/ drawer, you would think that work by artists in the same field would be her main source of inspiration, however it is photography that really gets her creative mind thinking. “Honestly, there have been very few artists that I have looked at and their work has inspired me, it’s photography that inspires me”. Jess prefers to photograph her own subjects, as opposed to using images off the Internet or other sources. Jess Materia-Rowland
For the month of June, Youth Arts & Recreation Centre’s visual art crowd established a Manga Workshop, organized by Youth Participation Worker Chris Mister and run by Mauli Nethery (see pages 14-15), an experienced Manga hobbyist. This workshop was a fantastic opportunity for the Youth Centre to engage with current contemporary youth trends in art, both locally and internationally. Manga is a Japanese style of drawn cartoons that originated in the late 19th century. It is now very popular in western cultures, largely due to the rise of the Internet and social networking I, Mathew Morrisby, participated in this workshop, although not apt in drawing myself, it was amazing to see the vast amount of abilities on display. Each week, focused on a different topic. It started with basic grids and forms, all the way through to character development and inking techniques. The workshop provided an opportunity for less experienced drawers to either copy, read from new material or be tutored one on one. During the Manga Workshop, I got to talk to both Mauli and Melanie about their previous experiences and what skills they were developing. ART WORKSHOPS
Did you learn anything new from running the workshop? Mauli: I am not the best at teaching; I have my own styles and ways of drawing things that do not work for everyone. It’s hard to know what everyone wants to learn. What kind of equipment and processes did you use in the art studio? Mauli: Whiteboard and whiteboard markers when trying to do examples for people, as well as paper and pencil with pen over the top.
Manga
Images: Joel Imber
Tell me about the characters you depict in your drawings? Mauli: Either the character produced by someone else, where I am trying to understand the personality better or my own characters who I tend to relate to the mood I am feeling , or as a reflection of my own personality.
for drawing. Since starting higher education, I’ve had less and less time to draw, but I still try to do it since I find it fun and relaxing. So yes, I generally like to spend my free time drawing.” I love anything to do with traditional Japanese painting and brushwork. At least half the cartoons I used to watch were the American attempt at Anime like the Teen Titans cartoon for example.
“I generally like to spend my free time drawing.” What kind of art do you do for spare time?
Art (detail): Mauli Nethery
When did you first start drawing? Was it originally Manga? Melanie: That would have to be around primary school. Probably grade 4 or 5 I think. At first it was just weird scribble monsters, then my friends showed me a ‘How to Draw Manga Book’, then Invader Zim was my passion ART WORKSHOPS
Melanie: I do fan art, which ranges from Manga and Anime (Like D.Gray-man, Fullmetal Alchemist and Megaman.exe) to comic book heroes (Teen Titans, Young Justice). The rest of the time. I mainly draw my original characters that I’ve developed over the years. They are all part of a spanning story called Dasyurid. I always try to make my characters different from mainstream media and change anything that is seen as the norm.
Spread design: Mathew Morrisby Manga
Image: Chris Cook
Daniel Breen is a 16 year old street and hip hop dancer. Many people describe his style as liquid because he has the uncanny ability to literally move like fluid. When he dances, he seems to go into a zone and it’s almost as if it’s just him and the music and nothing else can touch him. There is something truly incredible about Daniel’s natural ability to dance and Editor, Polly Dance had the opportunity to hear Daniel’s story. Daniel Breen is an amazing dancer, famed for being selected as one of only seven young dancers nationally to join the Junior Justice Crew, who performed at Reece Mastins’ Summer Nights Tour in 2012. Even more incredible, Daniel was the only Tasmanian dancer selected and as he said, “I was the only one that was self-taught.”
it almost seemed as if dancing is something that Daniel has always done. Since he was 12 years old, he has been coming into the centre and owning the stage with his moves. It all started for him in Primary School, when he had a school disco and thought, “wouldn’t it be cool to dance!” He asked his older brother Andrew to teach him the shuffle, and as he put it: “From there I’ve just grown up with dance.” Andrew has been a huge influence on his dance, and has supported and encouraged him to keep dancing in the family, long after he stopped dancing regularly. Daniel’s dancing has come a long way over the years and he now has a good handle on “heaps of different styles” known as dub-step, popping, locking and freestylin’.
If you’ve seen Daniel dance, you might think he is lucky to be so naturally talented but he’s not just lucky, he’s blessed! As a child, he was in and out of hospital with not one, but two life threatening diagnoses; he is lucky to be alive! As a result, Daniel has to have regular checkups, can’t play contact sports or eat junk food but man can this little dude dance! During our interview, he jokingly said, “That’s also why I can dance, because it’s a kind of fitness that I can do without dying!” I sat slightly aghast at his candour, but then I realised that this is Daniel’s reality. Better for him to laugh, than cry over something that he can’t control and what’s more, to celebrate through the medium of dance. What he can control, and it is almost as if he has superpower-control, is the movement of his body when he dances. Daniel has perfected the fine art and control of isolating parts of his body so that it looks like he moves like liquid.
When I asked him how he got so good, he said, “Just practice. In Year 6, I would dance pretty much most days. I was in a crew with Greg and AB and we used to practice every day. We used to meet up at the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre and practise. From there, I got really good.” From starting in the lowest of low places, Daniel has been on the rise, growing up with dance as a central part of his life. I get the feeling that it’s only up from here for this lucky star.
When I spoke to him about where he started out, INTERVIEW
Daniel Breen
Shuang Shuang and Alessandra Kuanare are enthusiastic participants in the dance workshops. It’s a welcome reprieve for both of them away from their tertiary studies. Both of them love to dance and have so much fun that they’ve started learning break dancing as well as hip hop and have almost mastered the windmill! Polly Dance, Editor of PLATFORM managed to drag them away from the dance floor for a quick interview...
Image: Chris Cook
How have you found the Dance Workshops every Friday?
SS: You do a good job! It’s hard when we lose our place in the music though.
Alessandra: SO FUN! Yeah, lots of fun. It’s been nice meeting new friends from all places and different backgrounds. Everyone brings their own flavour as a different dancer.
I’ve seen your friendship blossom during the workshops. Isn’t that just the best!?
Shuang Shuang: Yes, I like dancing so much. I dance four days a week now! Has your dancing improved? SS: Yeah, because this is so different to anything else that is offered in Hobart. I want to learn new things. Hip hop is fast, so while you’re learning, you’re training your mind too and learning to dance quickly. Do you find it a challenge?
SS: I think our personalities are similar. I can be quite shy, and don’t like to talk too much sometimes. Doing dancing has been good for listening and good to make new friends and good fun. I just want to say: Thank you! Thank you for you. Thank you for here. And one because if we were without the Youth Arts and Recreation Centre we can’t have fun in here! I want more people to come! AK: It’s awesome! Learn to hip hop with Fabrice aka Fabulous Rice FREE every Friday!
SS: Yes, but it is good. AK: It is good. When I get tired of talking about all the pharmaceutical stuff, I can just dance! It’s great! But I can’t move that fast yet. DANCE
Where: Youth Arts & Recreation Centre When: Every Friday from 4pm - 5pm Workshops
Meet Tash Matthews, a 16 year old who is passionate about hip hop dancing. Maya von Allmen, a new writer from EdZone, caught up with Tash at the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre and they instantly hit it off! It turns out Tash and I have heaps in common, including dancing and fashion. In Grade 7, Tash had a really close friend who danced. It made her think, “Maybe if I danced like him then I’d be cool like him.” Personally, I think Tash is pretty cool. Primary School was when Tash discovered dancing. She has an older sister, who she feels is like her twin, and they loved getting their groove on together and dancing. They got into researching dance moves on YouTube and saw what people were doing, and how cool and inspiring it was.
Tash doesn’t even know what half the moves she does are called, she just does it her way, and goes with what feels right. She told me she doesn’t have a favourite move. “I love watching other people glide though. It’s where they push their feet out and move on their feet.” I asked her if it was like the moon walk and she agreed, but added that instead of just going backwards, it’s moving your feet out and all around. “Jason Derulo does it and I love it!”
‘Stay fly! Stay original!’ Dance movies with great moves have definitely inspired Tash. The Step Up series influenced her, as well as Honey, Save the Last Dance, and You Got Served. She likes all kinds of dance movies - even ballroom ones. Tash says, “You just watch them
Images: Jessica Smart
and you’re like, I’d love to be that person!” She has been watching other styles of dance lately too, including ballet and tap. Not that she would ever go out of her way to go to the ballet, but she stated, “I love how much skill and determination ballet dancers have to have in them to do what they have to do.”
clothes and shoes. And I’m just like, “BOOM! Here I am!” Yeah, I like to dress like nobody else. So I stand out. So I’m not classified as a certain person. I’m always in jeans or shorts. I live in high tops! I’m always wearing high tops.”
Tashs’ dream is to have her own studio where people can go to learn how to dance. She doesn’t like how when she was growing up everything was so expensive, and her mum couldn’t afford lessons at most dance studios.
“I’d want my dance studio to be free and open to anyone!” We share a love of clothes and fashion. Tash is ‘out there’ and original! She says, “I personally, dress the way I dress. Different is what I like.” She wants to be noticed and have people think, “Wow, she’s different!” When we talked about it she explained it like this: “I like to dress individually and I have this weird little motto: ‘Stay fly! Stay original!’ So I think to keep it original, I dress different to everyone else. I hate going to school on ‘free-dress day’ and seeing everyone dressing as if they’re in uniform again because they’re all wearing the same
INTERVIEW
Reality dance shows came up in conversation. I asked if ‘So you think you can dance?’ was something that she’d thought about applying for. She’d considered it, but doesn’t like the way those kinds of shows don’t really categorise dancers by their style. Her view is, “It’s as if, if you can’t do the splits, then there’s no point in going on a show like that.” Well, Tash, you might not be able to do the splits but I think we are certainly going to hear more of you in the future!
Tash Matthews
Title: Ben Fisher
Tohua Sands – 17 year old I do acrobatics, a bit of gymnastics and a fair bit of skating. I learn skills that I can use that are transferable. Like with the acrobatics, we do circus shows, me and my family. Skating helps with balance and gymnastics helps with flexibility and strength. Images: Jiemba Sands
Danny Mason – 13 year old To keep active – I skate! I never like to stay inside for more than five minutes. I always like to get outside and do something. When I’m at home, I always go skate downstairs. I broke my arm and I couldn’t do active sports for nearly three months. I couldn’t do it, I ended up making a video of me skating while I had my broken arm. Breaking my arm was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It actually was, because it got me back here to the Youth Centre, which I come to every week even though I don’t have a broken arm anymore, and it got me back into photography.
ACTIVATION
Youth Mall Showcases
The Youth Arts & Recreation Centre works with young people to deliver an exciting showcase of live music, magic, circus performances and hip hop dancing as part of the “School Holiday Fun In Hobart� program, activating public spaces. Images: Jess Materia-Rowland, Joel Imber and Asif Ali
Maddie Kramer is not the kind of person who likes to talk about herself, be the centre of attention, or be in the spotlight. But in the past year, I (Polly Dance) have watched as Maddie has pushed herself outside her comfort zone. Earlier this year, she was the centre of attention at her first solo exhibition ‘Distorted Portraits’. She stood in the spotlight as a confident public speaker as the MC for PLATFORM PLUS and spoke with clarity about her dream to be a photo journalist. Even though Maddie admits that she is still, “figuring out a lot of things”, having edited her writing for PLATFORM Magazine, worked with her to develop her exhibition, and encouraged her to take to the stage as MC, I can attest to having seen her come a long way already!
Her Lecturer, Dr. Martin Walch, has been one of the most influential people in helping her to get “the thoughts flowing.” Dr. Walch’s opening speech at Maddie’s exhibition launch at Substation Gallery in the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre hit the nail on the head when he said, “Through Maddie’s strategies of photographic distortion and abstraction, and her visual camouflaging of identity, we are being asked to explore the limits of what it is possible to define about ourselves, and at the same time we are being asked what it is that we can truly know about others.” When I asked Maddie where she gets her inspiration from, she said: “Other artist’s
It is a journey that we all take at some point in our lives, whether young or... not so young anymore, a journey of self-discovery. Maddie Kramer is lucky enough to be embarking on this journey at the tender age of 21. This search for identity has guided her photography practice over the past three years and she’s found her ‘thing’ in experimental portraiture photography. FEATURE
Maddie Kramer
Images: Maddie Kramler
work inspires me and makes me think about my beliefs and style and how that can change.
“Some people think there is a ‘right way’ to take a photograph but I think it’s important to stray from that...” For ‘Distorted Portraits’, Maddie created a new portraiture series showing a head and shoulders photograph of a number of different females whose identities were indistinguishable behind a layer of liquid warping. When I asked what filter she had used, I was surprised to discover that Maddie doesn’t use filters and rarely edits her images. To create the work, Maddie had literally asked her subjects to hold up a piece of frosted glass in front of their faces and then took the photos – creating the liquefied effect that she was after. Likewise, in her 2013 photography assessment work, she developed a series of what looked like old and heavily distressed photographs of people’s eyes through a process of rubbing and scrunching FEATURE
the paper. Maddie expressed,
“A hand-generated feel is really important for me. “
“I want it to be real.” Maddie is inspired by “the need to be creative”, and often sees the world around her in images. She admits that she wonders if people see things the way she does and that motivates her to get thingsthe words or image out of her head and onto paper. Follow Maddie online: http://madelynekramer.tumblr.com/ Maddie Kramer
Image: Bailey Jackson
Will Joseph is a Year 12 student at Hobart College. He is an awesome designer and most importantly, he’s an awesome dude. Atak Ngor, a new PLATFORM writer, caught up and interviewed Will recently about his hopes and dreams. Will struck me as a passionate young man who seems to have the world at his feet. For someone who’s only 17 years old he has so many dreams. Believe it or not, he is already in the process of achieving some of these dreams. He enjoys computer design, photography and video-making. Amazingly, Will is completely self-taught. Everything he knows about games designs he researched online and taught himself from online resources and YouTube tutorials, “I just Google anything I don’t know!” He showed me a video of a game that he has been making. It was a high quality game, filled with beautiful landscape and animation from the perspective of the avatar. It was as if the game was being made in front of your eyes and it felt as if you could not blink or else you would miss something. It was awesome. PROFILE
He is looking into a career in games designs, but is particularly interested in focusing on creating maps and levels of video games. Will said to me, “My dream keeps on changing”. According to Will, last year he was interested in just making films. His interest in film-making led him and a friend to making a short film for Tropfest Australia. Will prefers doing the ‘behind the scenes’ of filmmaking than acting on screen. The Tropfest event is hosted at Sydney’s Centennial Park, with live screenings outdoors. Each year Tropfest is themed and this year’s theme is ‘mirror’, unfortunately their six-minute film was not selected as a finalist of 16 films in Tropfest 2013. But Will tells me,
“It was a good experience we have learnt so much that we can apply to our future projects.” This was of particular interest to me, Will Joseph
Image: Will Joseph
because I am doing a small role in a short film for Tropfest 2014 that is currently filming. Will and his friend are currently working on a new short film entry for this year’s Tropfest. They are working through the editing process to refine the film. I asked Will, “What have you done differently from the last time?” He replied, “I
feel more confident in the work that we have made and it’s more professional.” Although I didn’t see it, it sounded incredible. I asked Will “Where do you see yourself in five years?” He answered, “At University or just finishing.” From his quick response, I understood that Will has a clear vision of his dream for higher education. After University, Will wants to take a ten year break, before undertaking further study in a Master’s degree. He believes that postgraduate studies will help him to expand his knowledge and understanding, advancing his skills his specialised field of interest. I asked Will once again, “What is your dream?” and he responded,
“My ultimate dream is to live somewhere remote, like in the Snowy Mountains.” He can imagine himself snowboarding every day and having very fast Internet so he can research and work his dream-job from home. Will has a love for snowboarding. When he was a kid, his family went on a holiday and he learnt how to snowboard. Ever since then he has enjoyed it. This year is going to be Will’s second season of snowboarding and he is keen! Image: Will Joseph
PROFILE
Will Joseph
EVENT
Light Up The Lane
The City of Hobart celebrated National Youth Week 2014 with Light up the Lane, an innovative visual and performing arts event which took place in Mathers Place off Bathurst Street from 6pm - 9pm on Sunday 13 April. Young people created photographic and video artwork that was then projected larger than life onto the buildings in and around Mathers Place, transforming the urban landscape into a temporary digital art gallery. The artworks included animation, photography, narrative short film, graphic design as well as poetry and sound installations by over 60 contributing young artists. Five local young musicians performed acoustic sets and a range of Hobart’s mobile food vendors sold the best and yummiest food you can get from the back of a truck.
Images: Chris Cook
Same Journey, Different Adventure Have you ever stopped to imagine what it’s like for children and young people in out-of-home care? Did you know that there are over 1,000 Tasmanian kids in foster care? We are four of them. We’ve lived this life and we want to share with you some of our experiences of what it has been like growing up in foster care and why it’s important for us to share our stories. We form part of the CREATE Foundation’s Young Consultants crew. CREATE is a national organisation working with children and young people who have experienced out-of-home care. Young Consultants are helping CREATE to connect and empower young people like us and to make positive changes in the care system. We are no different to anyone else – we want to be happy, accepted and achieve our hopes and dreams. Miss Small – Young Consultant for 7 ½ years I have had a number of great experiences PLATFORM
and met a lot of new and inspiring people in the same situation as me. I have learnt and achieved things I never thought were possible. Last year, I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Canberra for the CREATE Conference. It was inspiring to see so many people at the conference, all determined to make their voices heard and create better lives for others. I recently participated in the ‘The Power Within’ CREATE photography project. I got to interview and photograph an adult that was in care as a child and now works as a Youth Worker. Then I was fortunate enough to attend the exhibition opening in Canberra after the conference. I have worked with lots of kids in care as a member of the CREATE Youth Advisory Group. Some of the main issues that young people have experienced, are unstable placements and multiple case workers. I think that this could be improved through more contact with family and more available and sustainable foster placements with brothers and sisters. When I lived with my brother and sister, I felt a sense of normality, but when we lived apart, I felt excluded. I feel that the label ‘kids in care’ shouldn’t define who we are or stop us from reaching our full potential. CREATE
Mr T – Young Consultant for 10 years I have been involved with many CREATE projects that help improve the lives of children and young people in care, like the ‘Outta here kits’ project, which provided helpful information and practical kits for young people leaving care and becoming independent. I have also had meetings with people such as the Commissioner for Children, where we discussed some of the things impacting people like me. I was taken into care when I was a baby, so it was all I knew. I was lucky to have the same carers the whole time I was in care. They treated me like one of their own. I was also lucky to go to a school where there were other kids in care, but I did notice we were singled out a bit. When I was in high school though, I was an outsider by choice. It was difficult for me at school because when I had to get forms and permission slips signed, they had to be signed by my case worker, which was difficult. I am still trying to figure out what courses I would like to do, so I can build a future for myself. If I could say one thing to all young people, it would be don’t let the way people treat you affect who are! Miss Bubbles – Young Consultant for 7 years I have participated and helped out at CREATE events and co-facilitated workshops and training. I also went to Canberra for the CREATE Conference. It was such an amazing experience; I met a lot of awesome people, and learnt that what I have to say makes a difference! I was a newborn baby when I went into care. I have had numerous carers throughout my 18 years in care. The last carers I had helped me PLATFORM
to have more of an understanding about how far I could go in life, with the right attitude. My dream is to open a veterinary clinic and to have an animal sanctuary centre. I have my Certificate three in Aged Care and hope to go into that industry. I would also love to be a foster carer and hope to make a huge impact in children and young people’s lives. My message to young people is we’re all the same, we just took a different adventure. Stay strong and be positive! Mr Genie – Young Consultant for 1 year Joining CREATE has allowed me to achieve some of my goals, like meeting new people and learning new skills like public speaking. I was really lucky to be placed with my current carer, because he supports me to do all the activities that I wantto do, just like any other person. My dream is to be a radio announcer on HOFM. I love listening to Mick and Jane in the mornings on the bus and they inspire me to be on the radio. One thing I want to say to all the young people out there is, be happy with the parents or carers you are with, because they have got a lot to give. Thank you for reading our story. We hope this gives you some insight into what it’s like for kids like us and an idea of some of the issues young people in care might be experiencing. Remember, no matter where you come from, we are all on the same journey just living a different adventure. Find out more about CREATE Foundation or becoming a Young Consultant: http://www.create.org.au https://www.facebook.com/CREATEfnd https://twitter.com/CREATEFND CREATE