In Visible Ink - Episode 6: Out of Sight and out to Sea, telling stories of childhood lost through theatre and creative arts (2021)

MFTWA

In Visible Ink is a Museum of Freedom and Tolerance endeavour that makes visible the invisible. Through sharing and amplifying stories, histories, art, conversations and projects that inspire people to see differently, it aims to make changes towards a more just world. For more click here.

Our fourth day of programming for the 2021 In Visible Ink Symposium focused on stories of migration, and of the migrant and refugee experience.

Children of the Sea is the culmination of a research project by Jay Emmanuel, a play that shares the journeys of young maritime refugees who came to Australia by boat. Using satire and humour, the play centres around the stories of four characters who struggle with ideas of home, identity, adolescence and love as they navigate the absurdities of the adult world in which they drift.

BoatBird is a creation of artists and writers Jo Pollitt and Lilly Blue, telling a beautiful visual tale of perpetual arrival for children and adults alike to explore.

We convened a conversation about voice and agency for diverse and creative voices to tell stories that make visible universal themes of childhood, profound loss and unexpected joy, and bring stories out of sight to front of mind in 2021, the 20th anniversary of the Tampa Crisis in Australia.

Our creative and articulate speakers for this session (bios below) were:

• Jay Emmanuel
• Lilly Blue
• Jo Pollitt
• Marziya Mohammedali

Speaker biographies:

Jay Emmanuel is the founder and Artistic Director of Encounter. Born in India and based in Perth, Jay is a performer, writer and director. A graduate of Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, his works are distinguished by his unique methodology of collaborative theatre-making, melding contemporary theatrical forms with rigorous community engagement and enquiry into authentic storytelling often involving non-professional actors on stage.

Lilly Blue is an interdisciplinary artist and educator with a background in pedagogical practice, studio research and community engagement. She currently works as Manager of Learning and Creativity Research at the Art Gallery of Western Australia collaborating on projects that amplify the experience of children in relation with the world as critical and valuable in developing culture for multigenerational public audiences. She is co-Creative Director of contemporary arts publication/platform BIG Kids Magazine, and has worked internationally delivering arts residencies, professional development, creative commissions and exhibitions.

Dr Jo Pollitt is is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University. As an interdisciplinary artist and scholar Jo's work is grounded in a twenty-year practice of improvisation and dramaturgy across multiple performed, choreographic and publishing platforms. She is co-founder and director of the creative arts publication BIG Kids Magazine and is currently invested in methods of expanded embodiment and creative response in researching children's relations with climate futures.

Marziya Mohammedali is a wordsmith, photographer, designer, educator and artist. Their creative practice focuses on narratives of dissent, identity, migration and transition, working for social justice. They have documented several protest movements within Perth and have been involved in creative and digital activism for various issues. They are also the Arts Editor at Jalada Africa, an online pan-African publishing platform. They are currently undertaking a PhD focusing on identity, protest, and photography, and recently held their first solo exhibition, 'we are the ones we have been waiting for'.