10 observations from Melbourne’s Contemporary Pacific Arts Festival

on April 14, 2015

  1. Dialogue events need strong, informed facilitation; it cannot be overlooked. It is the flow, the glue, the centering force in a birds nest of disparate opinions and voices.
  2. Sometimes gold is easier to see when it’s sitting in mud.
  3. Footscray Community Arts Centre is a fantastic people-centered facility; I wish our community arts centres in South Auckland were as innovative, inspiring and integrated into the everyday lives of their local communities.
  4. Aotearoa New Zealand, in comparison to Australia, is pretty much a Pacific Island country.
  5. Being around healthy people and healthy lifestyles is contagious and empowering.
  6. The Pacific felt far away, almost abstract. Pacific protocols regarding hosting, reciprocity and respect, make me feel safe.
  7. I’m not convinced that Moananui is a term I can use comfortably to describe the Pacific ocean or Oceania. It’s not my language.
  8. I’m proud to have built my curatorial practice within the context of public service.
  9. Melanesia was present, visible and vital in the dialogue around ‘Pacific art’; I liked it a lot.
  10. I see the privileges, opportunities and value of my time and space here in South Auckland; it’s always good to press Refresh.

One Response to “10 observations from Melbourne’s Contemporary Pacific Arts Festival”

  1. microwoman

    Thanks for sharing these observations, PIMPI. I recently attended one conference and parts of another conference in Hawai’i and was thinking of sharing my brief ‘takeaways’ as you’ve done here. So, I guess I’d better get onto it! 🙂 Vinaka!

    Liked by 1 person

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