ARTIST'S WORKS
Below are some of the artist's works.
Visual Arts
'Prim and Improper' from the project 'DIScomfort'
by Madison Sanders
Madison Sanders’s sculptural installations titled ‘DIScomfort’ evoke the palpable affective dimension of living with anxiety and depression. By examining universal themes that refer to the human condition, the work questions the inner workings of the human mind and the concerns we all share as we try to find a way of existing as modern and unique individuals.The works touch-on the discomforts of young adulthood, of struggling with the social pressures associated with accepted representations of femininity and mental health as a whole. Madison’s works are often interdisciplinary, ranging from drawing, painting, photography and sculptural installations.
Writing
'Shattered' by Taylor Manton
Taylor Manton is an emerging author that has been published through children’s writing competitions on multiple occasions, and is set to graduate from La Trobe University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Creative Arts. Taylor is the proud artist behind Tea Time With Taylor, his project for the 2019 La Trobe Arts Festival. Having dabbled in both fiction and nonfiction, Taylor is decidedly more in the camp of writing fictional short stories, scripts, and novels. Taylor draws heavily from his own experiences and the experiences of those close to him in his work, and this can be seen in his festival entry. To follow the development of Taylor’s festival piece and other works, you can follow him on his social medias:
Instagram: taytay_manton
Twitter: @thetaylormanton
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'Universal Language' by Kirubel-Asrat Eshetu
My name is Kirubel-Asrat Eshetu, a Creative Arts student doing double major in Theatre and Writing. My time at La Trobe University has been marvellous and I’ve learned the craft of creative writing and storytelling. For the Creative Arts Festival I’ve decided to focus on creative writing, in the form of spoken word. The focus of the spoken word will be on identity and belonging, education, language and music, truthfulness, law, justice and occupation.
The following are poem titles I wrote to read in the festivals each night: Afar Universal Language Did not know Geology Death of the Comma Ethiopian Church Once Upon a Time Truth and Justice Textiles
Universal Language
To speak to you in a language,
Here is the antique – here is the paint - to describe it in a language;
We use language to communicate.
Language being our cultural baggage,
We linguistically reflect;
Not to allow others manipulate.
A to Z – letters of the English Alphabet,
Languages being my heritage, my homage;
I am Ethiopian, I’m aware of universal language;
Amharic is my mother-tongue, my native language!
Language of perfection, language of prestige,
Like all languages in the universe, have aesthetical beauty I envisage!
Afar
I come from the Ethiopian region Afar
From the land of Lucy.
The place you are unable to see!
I know your attitude wouldn’t take you that far
A mystifying nature difficult to prophecy.
The place you are unable to see!
Take the Camel to the desert Danakil to experience Afar even if it’s too far -
The place you are unable to see!
Far away from the Palace of King Jifar
Far away from the monumental walls of Harar.
The place you are unable to see!
My words are deep like the words of Shakespeare
As one would imagine and foresee!
Like the Emperor Theodore, I will not surrender!
Once Up on a Time
Once upon a time I chased you down the street,
And you ran;
You were a liability – a public threat,
And it was your turn!
To be chased,
To run in action;
To be followed,
To be dogged in a pacey fashion.
Look at the wave, The Nile River, the cataract!
You played chess,
Quick to react;
Quick to amuse,
A marvellous act;
A tremendous muse.
Your action - the action of the abrupt,
You letting down the youth,
Deep down was never a muse!
Truth and Justice
I’ll stand up for truth and for justice;
Will not lie, will not deny
Tell the truth to live in peace,
To be truthful, to never lie
To not practice injustice;
Have faith in me and relay
I’ve told you once, will tell you twice,
To convey, to signify
Am not in fear of injustice;
To correct, to ratify
Truth will win, so will justice;
To ascertain, to justify
Live what you say and not confess,
To amplify, to magnify
Living the truth is better than living chaos;
To emphasise, to exemplify
Live truthfully and justly, whistle the truth and sing justice!
Death of the Comma
Death of the comma
Death of the apostrophe,
Story of trauma;
Story of catastrophe.
I run to reinforce the law,
You run to be creepy;
Contemplating your creepiness, it being unsweet to swallow,
I was unhappy;
In your run there was a flaw,
Do you know the meaning of carbon copy?
The law will lead; you will follow!
Photographers do modify, do photocopy,
The law will lead, you will follow!
Ethiopian Church
The Ethiopian Church music got me enchanted.
Was the beat Mozart’s or Beethoven’s – who wrote the lyric?
Listen to the Church mass and be captivated,
Ethiopian composer Saint Yared, the heart of Ethiopian Music;
In the cold I stood – I shivered – tramping in the rain - I quivered.
The Ethiopian Church was and is ancient like the Church of Greek,
I looked out, I looked in and I believed;
Ethiopian emperors were wise like the people of Greek!
I was and am a warrior, not scared of Goliath, not scared of his well-built physique,
I was and am the young David;
I believed, you believed, we believed we were and are brothers and sisters the belief of the believed!
Did not Know Geology
Did not know Geology,
Heard it was the study of rocks.
Did not know Archaeology,
Heard it was the study of past remains.
Did not study zoology,
Heard it was the study of animals.
Did not study Biology,
Thought none of it matters.
Did not fail Sociology,
Did you know failure disheartens?
Did study Anthropology,
The core of music, language and cultures!
Did know and do know Theology,
The study of God – “King of kings, Lord of lords”!
I tell you this and you baffle,
Believe me you are inauthentic;
You crumble like a caramel,
Are you really a critique?
You hide in the bushes and you waffle,
What are you, a critique?
You say you will hide in the Amazon jungle,
In your say I say that would be a mystique.
Screen
E.C.H.O.S. by Jessica Smith & Erica Wilson
BLUMA Pictures is an all-inclusive production company that produces films and screenplays created by La Trobe students Jessica Smith and Erica Wilson. After volunteering together, both Smith and Wilson discovered that their interests and degrees overlapped and decided to come together to create a short film. At the beginning of July 2019, the duo decided to start BLUMA so that the film could potentially be a part of a series once Smith and Wilson have graduated.
Their debut short film E.C.H.O.S takes place in a dystopian and futuristic Los Angeles in the year 2119. With a cyberpunk feel and intriguing superheros, the film takes inspiration from the Geek and Sundry role-playing show Calisto 6. While ideas have been taken from Calisto 6, knowledge of this series is not needed as E.C.H.O.S is a new take on what has already been created.
Film Coming Soon!