Building Bridges

[Nell Jones]

Hi Everyone,
In the past weeks I have been with the Balinese Artists from Ubud on The Building Bridges with Bali Project. This was an amazing experience for anyone who was involved. I was able to collaborate with Dewa Atra and perform several of my poems with him. A different costume was created with every poem! It was a wonderful working in the head space of two cultures. Culminating in performance of both contemporary and traditional Balinese dance, with the poems read and performed from the Sky Is My Religion. We performed The Sky Is Broken at the opening of the Bali Exhibition at Newcastle Art Space, Blazing Star at both the Lass O Gowrie Hotel, in Newcastle and at an opening of Barbara Nanshe’s Art/Jewellery Gallery in Beaumont Street, Hamilton and finally the poem, White Rose at Stockton Public School Multicultural Day. It was great opportunity for us to be invited to the Indonesian Embassy in Sydney, and truly wonderful for the artists to have the consulates visit their activities, and performance days, at Stockton and Lambton Public Schools' Multicultural Days.  We are hoping to further this collaboration in Bali in the near future. It was a truly magnificent experience working with the artists, and supporting them on their cultural exchange in Newcastle. But best of all, was the much loved art exhibiton at NAS;the painting I took home with me, will certainly extend my experience into the future! Artists, Wayan Meja and Eka Partama have left some of their works in Newcastle; they can be found in the Banyan Tree Restuarant, Hamilton, and Inside Out, Newcastle. Works are for sale.

Nell Jones

Dewa Atra, Opening; Newcastle Art Space April 7th, Bali Artist Exhibiton.Dance and Poetry Collaboration of the poem,The Sky Is Broken, by Nell Jones. Painting- Eka Partama, Ubud Artis!