25th January to Annual Report December 2008 ice.org.au 25th January to Annual Report December 2008 Contents Overview of ICE 4 Switch: Emerge: Africa on Screen 30 ICEMAP: The Visual Guide to ICE 6 Switch: Emerge and Specialist Consultancy Services 31 Chairperson’s Report 8 Switch: Urban Music Project 32 Executive Director’s Report 9 Switch: Switch Acadamy 34 25 Years in Pictures 10 Switch: Parramatta Screening 35 Cultural Development Program (CDP) 13 Switch: Changing Lives 36 CDP: Youth Digital Cultures 14 Auspiced Projects 38 CDP: Parkroar 16 Hong Kong Exchange 38 CDP: Create Media! 18 Community IT Program (CITP) 39 CDP: Remembering Minto 18 Artfiles 41 CDP: Digital Territories: Palestine 18 Artfiles: Professional Development 43 CDP: Sydney Writers’ Festival 19 ICE Research Projects 46 CDP: Sydney Arab Film Festival 20 People and Partners 47 Matt Huynh: Improving the Day to Day 22 Financial Statements 51 A Tale of Two CIties: From Paris to Parramatta 22 Switch Multimedia And Digital Arts Access Centre 23 Switch: Digitales 24 Switch: Tropwest 27 Switch: Lattice: Sydney 28 Overview of ICE In 2008… Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) creative practitioners, which also includes a “Information and Cultural Exchange is a vital works at the intersection of arts, culture, publication and online resource. ICE has technology and community. ICE works across expertise and success in developing digital influence in the social and creative life of Western Greater Western Sydney, Australia’s most media, community development and arts Sydney. For more than two decades, ICE has been culturally diverse region. Our projects programs that engage thousands of evolving and growing, responding to the creative creatively engage diverse communities and individuals, artists and communities annually artists to generate new forms of cultural and is known and respected for undertaking urges and social needs of the region and its many expression, build cultural and community projects with newly arrived migrant and different communities. While we must never capacity and infrastructures, encourage refugee communities and young people. become complacent about the organisation’s intercultural dialogue and tell the stories of ICE has grown rapidly in recent years, this extraordinary place. responding to increasing demands of Western success, it is fair to say that many of its programs, ICE manages Switch, Western Sydney’s Sydney communities for creative such as Artfiles and Switch, have become crucial state of the art multimedia and digital arts opportunities and cultural expression. access centre, in partnership with Parramatta Stretching our resources to capacity, ICE has to the cultural life of Western Sydney.” Council. We manage Artfiles: connecting built momentum from successful programs Professor Ross Gibson, ICE Chairperson Western Sydney arts, a program of support that seek to deliver new, creative ways to and development for the region’s artists and meet these needs. 4 5 ICEMAP: the Visual Guide to ICE 1 Innovation 2 Incubation 3 Capacity 4 Communication 5 Alliances 6 Continuity Generate fresh forms of Seed new arts, Build capacity of socially- Amplify Western Sydney’s Build strategic alliances Develop sustainable cross-cultural expression community and digital excluded communities to diverse and creative and partnerships to operations so programs GOALS and models of community media enterprises, share their stories, voices through the strengthen operations build momentum and digital engagement. projects and practices deepen participation and exhibition and promotion and boost creativity. provide genuine pathways to sustainability. effect change. of bold new work. for ongoing participation within and beyond ICE. 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 2 | 3 | 6 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 Cultural Development Program Switch Community IT Program Artfiles Encourages innovative collaborations A program and space to provide access to Strengthening Western Sydney communities Professional development, profile, between culturally diverse communities new media technologies to communities by building regional IT capacity, improving employment and recognition for Western and the arts sectors, to develop new models who typically lack access. information exchange, and targeting gaps Sydney artists, arts and culture. for CCD practice and produce new work and needs. (with a focus on digital media). KEY KEY PROGRAMS 1 Support and resource cultural development in 1 Incubate emerging artists, projects and 1 Develop IT skills and infrastructure 1 Professional development and capacity- Western Sydney creative enterprises Resource community networks, NGOS, libraries, building for artists Initiatives assist communities and young people Artist residencies; mentorships; incubation workers; support access centres. to self-sustainability; provide advice and program. 2 Resource artist business and employment information in response to requests. 2 Build digital capacity of organisations and Incubate arts enterprises, employment 2 Skills and capacity-building for artists and service providers brokerage, information, referral. 2 Generate dialogue and research around artsworkers Multimedia training; capacity-building intersections of culture, arts, technology and Digital arts training; refugee radio initiative; collaborations (Connecting Parramatta). 3 Cultural brokerage with local government in community in Western Sydney web/design workshops; ‘active flix’ video project. Western Sydney Research with University of Western Sydney and 3 Develop innovative IT capacity-building Contribute to cultural planning; build networks; University of Technology Sydney (Digital Cultural 3 Deliver cutting edge community digital arts initiatives collaborations. Atlas, dig. stories). initiatives Digital access for excluded groups; Connect Out Africa On Screen; Suburban Grooves; hip hop project with isolated and recently-arrived 4 Interactive and dynamic information resource 3 Produce high quality community-led cultural projections; Arabic v-logging. communities. New website; biannual publication; e-bulletin. projects Remembering Minto; Hip-hop and urban culture 4 Increase isolated communities’ access to 4 Spearhead innovative research and 5 Profiling artists and resourcing arts projects. digital arts development marketing Mobile kits; access programs. Community IT mapping; conferences: Our Media, Artfiles showcase; artist profiling and marketing; 4 Progress CCD practice in Western Sydney Making Links. residency and skills program attached to Mentorships; master classes, youth initiatives 5 Switch Academy training and cost-recovery incubator. (Youth Digital Cultures). Open, fee-paying digital arts training. 6 Regional cultural mapping 5 Connect communities and cultural institutions 6 Switch Productions Dis/place project (refugee artists with Museum Revenue-generating service to produce of Contemporary Art & CAC); Sydney Writers’ specialist, culturally-savvy multimedia resources. Festival. 7 Maintaining facilities, equipment and Synergy 6 Develop strategic cultural interventions programming capacity Arabic youth film initiative; incubating Sydney Work across and between ICE programs to mutually reinforce and support outcomes, Arab Film Festival. 8 Hire of Switch and portable equipment fill gaps, break new ground and make connections. 6 © Information and Cultural Exchange, 2007 7 Chairperson’s Report Executive Director’s Report I am privileged to write the Chairperson’s Parramatta in 2009. Although we had not report in the 25th Annual Report of ICE. It is planned to move until 2011, we have secured an important opportunity for us to celebrate beautiful premises in the heart of Parramatta and reflect on ICE’s extraordinary achieve- where our relationship with the local council ments, not only over the past year, but over remains vital. As we leave Granville, we thank the past 25 years of community cultural the AMWU for their support. development work in Western Sydney. This year, we farewell Nadya Haddad, Over the past 25 years ICE has survived and The majority of people we employ are from ICE has become a crucial part of the Tiffany Lee Shoy and Andy Lloyd James thrived, supporting thousands of artists and Western Sydney. We are not parochial; we cultural life of Western Sydney. Moreover I from the Board. We are so grateful for their creative workers, working with tens-of- simply believe in the skills and talents of this am proud to affirm that our national and wisdom and expertise (we have had the thousands of individuals and attracting local region. international standing continues to grow, benefit of Tiffany and Nadya’s energy and and global recognition for Western Sydney. I personally had an amazing year of including connections in the Middle East, intellect for six and seven years!). Sad as we We have grown and matured, adapted to professional development. Highlights Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. We have are to lose them, we are thrilled to welcome changing landscapes, and always stayed included participating in the Australia 2020 welcomed new international partnerships Elaine Leong and Mohamed Duar to the strongly connected to our local communities. Summit, undertaking the Asia Australia this year, for example Etihad Airways Board. I have had the privilege of being with ICE for Media Executive Leadership initiative and sponsored the co-directors of the Sydney Working with ICE, my gratitude and 10 of these years. graduating from the Asialink Leadership Arab Film Festival to attend the Biannual admiration