Echoes of Arrival: Opening Party

THIS EVENT IS A PART OF MELBOURNE DESIGN WEEK 2024. MELBOURNE DESIGN WEEK AND THE VICTORIAN DESIGN PROGRAM ARE INITIATIVES OF THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT THROUGH CREATIVE VICTORIA.

designweek.melbourne

On the night of 31st May, there will be a party to commemorate a temporary installation that is the result of the collaboration among Alex Patawaran, Asish Mohapatra, and Indra Liusuari. The opening party celebrates the multitudes of Asian diasporas that exist in so-called "Australia." This event will run from 8 pm until late. 

BYO drinks! For everyone's safety, canned drinks are preferred. Please be cautious of the potential safety hazards that glass bottles carry.

DJ Lineup

KINERGY [9:00-10:30 pm]

BROWN SUGA PRINCESS [10:30-11:30 pm]

DJ Biographies

KINERGY is an artist who delves into themes of queer futurity and disobedience through their multifaceted work as a creative producer, writer, events organiser, and DJ. Kin is in the process of establishing their own business as an artist and events manager, dedicated to championing First Nations, Black, and POC queer artists and community members. With a decade of experience as an arts worker, Kin has collaborated with approximately 30 organisations, including; 4A, Arts Centre Melbourne, Transgender Victoria, Next Wave, and Multicultural Arts Victoria.

Brown Suga Princess is a dynamic DJ, event producer, and community organiser who has rapidly risen to prominence in the Naarm/Melbourne underground scene. They have captivated audiences with their electrifying, bass-heavy sets. Brown Suga Princess is also an integral member of the South Asian-led collective Kerfew. The collective promotes and uplifts diaspora creatives, including DJs, radio hosts, photographers, visual artists, and more. Brown Suga Princess has shared the stage with notable artists such as Yung Singh, TYGAPAW, and CCL, and has brought their high-energy selections to some of the most celebrated parties nationwide.

Event

Echoes of Arrival is an immersive installation project delves into the complex interplay of three South and Southeast Asian diaspora experiences converging in Melbourne, Australia. The project aims to illuminate the transition from previously colonised Eastern cultures to life in Melbourne, a Western settler-colonial society. This project intricately weaves the narratives of three individuals from the South and Southeast Asian diaspora, converging to navigate Melbourne's "post"-colonial society. It sheds light on the challenging transition between historically colonised Eastern cultures and Australia as a Western society, revealing the enduring exploitation of Brown bodies in contemporary Melbourne through the appropriation of international creatives for social capital. 

The intersectionality of “post”-colonial experiences becomes apparent through the narratives of an Australian-born citizen, a decades-long immigrant, and a temporary visa resident. We explore the nuances of their upbringings, comparing the complexities of lived experiences in Australia. Intersecting diasporic relationships and identity formation will be central, highlighting the diverse and distinct identities within the Global South that risk homogenisation by White Australia. The narratives will touch upon the complex relationship between assimilation as a means of survival, freedom, or policing of expression.

The project draws from our diverse backgrounds in textiles, hybrid performances, and design-based visual arts to interrogate the lived experiences of South and Southeast Asian bodies within colonised lands. We aim to challenge the illusion of "post"-colonisation and its profiteering off the labour and value of Brown bodies under the guise of multiculturalism.

Echoes of Arrival occurs on the lands of the Wurrundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the unceded Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders; past and present. We acknowledge that the struggle against settler-colonialism still continues. Sovereignty has never been ceded.