OPENING THURSDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER as part of MELBOURNE FRINGE 2013

PETER WAPLES-CROWE  |  ANGELA TIATIA  |  DULCIE STEWART  |  KIRSTEN LYTTLE  |  JACOB TOLO  |  SUSAN FORRESTER  |  KIMBA THOMPSON

“A digital native is a person who understands the value of digital technology and uses this to seek out opportunities for implementing it with a view to make an impact.”

‘Digital Natives | Return to Paradise’ (DN|RTP) is an experiment in the digital space by artists from various backgrounds and disciplines. With works ranging from sound to digital prints, each artist will explore and re-interpret the theme relevant to their own cultural heritage and artistic practice.

‘Return to Paradise’ (Movie c.1956) references a look at post colonial cultures through the Hollywood lens. With moving images for the cinema screen depicting a notion of indigenous culture by and for outsiders, the title also yearns for an idyll or constructed paradise that has been lost. Ideas of paradise often misplaced upon unsuspecting Indigenous cultures, with all that entailed.

With the advent of digital technology (particularly online) access to the mediums and methods of distribution are more readily available to many cultures and artists globally. An example of which is access to archival materials held by museums and private collections. For artists this allows the examination and re-manipulation of sound and vision pertaining to our cultures. In DN|RTP each artist has used existing material in some way to reimagine their work. Taking control of the material that once depicted them through outsider experiences, each artist uses the opportunities that come from being a digital native.

Jacob Tolo