Projects

Completed November 2002

Who's involved

Partners: Migration Heritage Centre (MHC) and Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney (UWS).

In association with the School of Communication, Design & Media (UWS), the School of Contemporary Arts (UWS), University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) Gallery and the Powerhouse Museum; and with the support of the Mazda Foundation, Telstra Foundation, Apple Computer Australia Pty Ltd, Rexel Security and City Rail.


When and where

Project location: Sydney CBD
Project status: Current project
Date of completion: November 2002

Project description

GENERATE is a two year research, training and exhibition partnership between the MHC and the Centre for Cultural Research with the active involvement of young people from Western Sydney. Its objectives across the State are to highlight the positive contribution that young people from migrant backgrounds make to NSW and Sydney life and to explore the contemporary nature of migration heritage.

Rather than broadening access to the 'traditional' arts, GENERATE aims to create a space in which young people can highlight their actual contemporary cultural practices as legitimate forms of expression, thereby broadening the definition of the 'arts'.

Stage One explored the ways in which youth from Middle Eastern and Asian communities living in Western Sydney construct and express their identities through their popular culture. It was completed with the publication of the GENERATE: Youth Culture and Migration Heritage in Western Sydney report.

Stage Two is a major cultural event, GENERATE: The Art of Migration, to be held in Sydney during October & November 2002.

The event will consist of an exhibition at UTS Gallery, a weekend of afternoon music and performance at the ABC Eugene Goosens Hall, the 'Street machine' event at the Powerhouse Museum and City Rail platform video screenings.

What will the project achieve?

To:
assist young people to be involved in creating their own event within a major public institution;
bridge the gap between the arts, arts institutions and everyday migrant youth culture;
give youth from a range of migrant backgrounds the opportunity to display their culture and work together;
develop skills for young people through mentoring or more formal training;
challenge the dominant stereotypical and often negative attitudes and perceptions of Western Sydney's migrant youth population; and
bring Government, cultural, institutional and business organisations together to work with young people.
Exhibition information
GENERATE: doing [multi] culture
29 October - 11 November 2002
UTS Gallery, Peter Johnson Building (Building 6, Level 4), 702 Harris St, Ultimo.
Tel: 02 9514 1652 Web: www.utsgallery.uts.edu.au
doing [multi] culture is an installation which aims to create an environment that in someway represents a map of culturally diverse Western Sydney.

It has been conceived by Zen Yipu, a young Sydney based artist/academic who was born in mainland China. The installation was developed with the direct involvement of 30 young artists from UWS.

doing [multi] culture seeks to give 'a human face' and hopefully even a sense of personal intimacy to one of Sydney's most important, but sometimes estranged cultural enclaves.

doing [multi] culture consists of a large wall map of Western Sydney, stretching the entire length of the gallery. Fifteen Macintosh iBook computers are strategically placed in front, each relating to a specific geographical location and showing location specific video clips created by the young artists. Their video segments are representations of youth cultures and the geographical locations they call 'home'.

They also express their personal feelings about their Sydney identities. Gallery visitors will be able to see the different, often challenging cultural identities the young artists have created for themselves in a location that is an integral part of our cultural landscape.

Project contact

John Petersen - Manager
Migration Heritage Centre

Phone +61 2 9217 0625
Fax +61 2 9217 0628

Email johnp@phm.gov.au

Address:
PO Box K346
HAYMARKET NSW 1238
AUSTRALIA

Website
www.uws.edu.au/generate/festival2002/about.html