OzFest 2010 Provides Feast of Australian Cultural Talent

The Australian Embassy is proud to present OzFest 2010 from 17 September to 17 October 2010 showcasing Australian cultural talent in music, dance, literature and puppetry across four locations in Indonesia – Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Bali.

The month-long festival kicks off today with leading Australian hip hop and electronic music artists participating in the ILMU Festival in Yogyakarta and Jakarta over the next week. The event will present unique collaborations between Australia and Indonesia’s most talented young artists - Urthboy, Ozi Batla, Elgusto and Luke Dubs - all from the hip hop label Elefant Traks, who will perform and deliver workshops with the local community.

Renowned dance company Chunky Move and contemporary music quintet Topology will feature in Jakarta’s Salihara Festival which commences later this month. Topology, consisting of Robert Davidson (bass), John Babbage (saxophone), Bernard Hoey, (viola), Therese Milanovic (piano) and Rachel Smith (violin) will present two different programs Lucid Dreaming and Corridors of Power. Their music grapples with diverse themes and layers of ideas, including politics, philosophy, and issues in modern life, with their work trying to open up new areas of
music. Established in 1995, Chunky Move creates pieces not only for stage performances but also with new media and installation pieces. In 2008, Chunky Move received the title Best Dance Work for Glow (which it will perform at the Festival) at the Live Performance Australia Helpmann Awards.

In Surabaya Turtle and Trade Winds will present a collaboration of puppetry performances which explores the tales of coastal communities of Australia that are linked by their culture to the seafarers and fisherman of Indonesia. This project explores and promotes the cultural significance of the turtle that is shared by both indigenous and non-indigenous people of Australia and Indonesia.

In October the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) will feature a range of leading Australian fiction and non-fiction writers under the theme: ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika : Harmony in Diversity’. Prominent Australian acts in the Festival, including rapper and poet Omar Musa, hip hop Muslim artists The Brothahood, and indigenous hip hop trio The Last Kinection, are also expected to travel to Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Jakarta for performances and workshops with local communities.

OzFest 2010 is funded by the Australian Government, including through the Australia-Indonesia Institute and Australia International Cultural Council. More information on these activities will be available at www.indonesia.embassy.gov.au.

Media Enquiries:
Jenny Dee, Counsellor (Public Affairs) tel. (021) 2550 5290 mob. 0811 187 3175