Dispersing Information

Presentation at the 1st Taiwan International Children's TV and Film Festival (January 9-13, 2004)
By Vahid Vahed

(Global Community Cultural Development and Screen Culture activities utilizing Information Technology)

COMMUNITY CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Australia is a mini world that has citizens, which formed communities from diverse cultural backgrounds and is also a fertile testing ground to implement Community Cultural Development initiatives and strategies. Nearly 15 years ago, Australia Council for the Arts initiated a 10 years policy entitled 'Multicultural Arts for Multicultural Australia' in order to establish links between culturally diverse communities. This policy was a way to confirm and preserve the heritage of each culture re-presented in Australia as oppose to White Australia policy practiced since the colonization by Anglo Europeans nearly 200 years ago.

Community Cultural Development is a process to recognize the diversity and complexity of ideas and cultures as an integral part of establishing links between communities and individuals locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The outcome of Community Cultural Development practices is often hybrid and embedded in the process as an expression and/or exchange of ideas through various artistic and cultural forms, which ultimately creates a universal language.

The communication gap between countries, states, cities, communities and individuals is disappearing since Information Technology is shaping the world to be a closer community devoid of borders. This 21 century technological revelation allows diverse ideas and cultures to transcend their originalities to the rest of the globe by only pressing a button on a laptop, mobile phone or a finger touch computer screen refrigerator's door.

Since New Technology has abolished the concept of space and time in communication process, the Community Cultural Development initiatives and strategies have been implemented globally to establish greater understanding of the world's unique social, cultural, political and economical position. The main facet of New Technology is its cost effectiveness for many economically disadvantaged communities and individuals that have no adequate budget to access information and exchange ideas.

SCREEN CULTURE AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Since the invention of moving images over 100 years ago, Screen Culture Development strategies have been struggling to reach wider communities globally due to political and economical as well as technological limitations. Screen Culture Development has been implementing strategies to develop diverse audiences to appreciate moving images not only from the Hollywood apparatus but also from the community's social, cultural, artistic and political perspectives through non-Hollywood productions.

Traditionally, Screen Culture activities always utilized film festivals as platform to introduce new ideas from around the world to their respective audience but now with the presence of Television, Satellite and digital Technology, audience is allowed to experience and appreciate moving images from various artistic and technological forms. New Technology and multimedia applications provide an alternative root to create moving images not only by professionals but also by communities and individuals that are interested in this field. Therefore, the moving images industry is shifting from being exclusive to inclusive.

Since Information Technology has become a way of communication in the new millennium, it is also bringing about major changes in the way of seeing the world and ultimately creating new ways of being. These changes can occur during a long-term process beginning with children in school and at home that have access to information and multimedia applications that will empower youngsters to create their own unformulated and unrestricted expressions and representations. As a result of this overwhelming freedom through cyber space, many taboo expressions and discourses are equally represented along with already established ideas. Taboos such as amateur and/or unprofessional image-makers are no longer applicable since the quality of images is often enhanced and manipulated through various Digital FX processes by the 21st century image-makers.

Media literacy practices such as forums and workshops are gateways to develop an understanding to differentiate between the saturation of moving images that are already loaded with preconceived definitions and the images that are demanding the audience to contribute by completing the meaning from their own social, cultural, economical and political periphery.
KIDS IN THE PICTURE
Children and young people are among the groups that are not represented in decision-making process and often dependent on the adults' projection to find their identities. In the past decade, children and youth have been utilizing New Technology towards their own advantage and realizing that the real link with the world without being excluded is the Information Highways offered to explore by this revolutionary technology.

Since many organizations are set up to assist children and youth in making representation before the New Technology era such as CIFEJ are finding it very easy to widen their focus and transcend the aims and objectives of the organization via electronic communication tools. On the other hand, many organizations are formed that focus solely on utilizing New Technology to produce, present, promote and distribute works that are about/for or merely made by children and youth globally. New Technology is providing the knowledge and opportunity for many youngsters to manage and represent their own affairs rather than relying on adults and/or professionals to guide them with the adequate information.

ICYMAN (International Children and Youth Multimedia Access Network) is one of the organizations that is administrated and coordinated by young people under 22 years of age utilizing New Technology to promote and present its aims and objectives to wider constituents globally.

ICYMAN is a community cultural development and screen culture initiative in the Western Sydney region supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, Norwegian Film Institute, SAF (School of Animated Films, Croatia) and CIFEJ (International Centre of Films for Children and Young People, Canada) was launched at the 2nd International Film Festival for Children and Young Adults in Buenos Aries during November 2003.

In February 2004, ICYMAN will be launching a virtual database to commence networking between children, youth and relevant organizations locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. ICYMAN focuses on Information Technology and multimedia activities to connect children, youth and relevant organizations globally, and also be utilized as a virtual platform for cultural, artistic and personal development and expressions.

This is an opportunity to present young people from culturally diverse backgrounds in the Western Sydney region as one of the forefronts in networking and implementing new ways of expressions. The gathered information will be available on the project's website for community access, as well as being compiled in a comprehensive booklet by 2005. Also, the multimedia works produced by children and youth in the year 2004-5 will be presented and promoted not only during the 7th and 8th Editions Auburn International Film and Video Festival for Children and Young Adults but in many other national and international film, video and multimedia festivals.

By the year 2005, ICYMAN will become a key organization for cultural and artistic development of children and young people in Western Sydney region with a global perspective, through initiating, devising and presenting projects utilizing New Technology, and audience development strategies. As well as establishing links with communities, children, youth, multimedia centres, festivals, arts and cultural organizations locally, nationally and internationally.

Aims and objectives:

1. To lobby and advocate on behalf of children and youth in Western Sydney to gain access to Information Technology, Multimedia, Film and Video and Electronic art as the 21st Century forms of expression.

2. To initiate and establish an infrastructure entitled ICYMAN 'International Children and Youth Multimedia Access Network', that functions as a platform to address children and youth issues globally, administrated by culturally diverse children and youth of Western Sydney.

3. To initiate and develop CCD and Screen Culture activities through exchange programs locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to reach a greater understanding of the intertexuality and complexities in the social, cultural and political make up of each area, region or country.

Conceptual Workshop
Participants: Children 10-12 years old

Conceptual and practical workshop with primary students to view and vote for best works made by children and youth from Auburn International Film and Video Festival for Children and Young Adults 'winners compilation 2003', as well as writing and presenting own written stories during the workshop and voting for the best script. The duration of the workshop will not exceed 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Child Produced 4-14 years old

A Good Heart Ashden Walker, Live Action 4'30" Australia 2003 (Winner 1st Place)
"An African girl struggles to fit in to her new school in northern part of Queensland, Australia. In a race at school, a white boy who does not like her pushes her off and prevents her from winning. As the result of this incident the teacher will give warning to the boy to not do it again and behave with proper manners and respect for others."

ANTS Children aged 8-13, Animation 2'29" Croatia 2003 (3rd Place)
"Elementary drawing animation of a Story about a Lazy Ant who does not want to do his work like others."

CHOMP William Allsop / Channel Free, Experimental 4' Australia 2002
"An experimental film about a young boy studying at home but instead he begins to draw random lines, which are from Television. But the illuminating television light distorts the image and can only hear unrelated abstract sound."

Flying Pancakes Children aged 7-12, Animation 2'06" Croatia 2003
"Elementary drawing animation about a pancake who decides to make jokes with people and throws itself around in most inconvenient ways obstructing people who are working in the market."

Bully Duster Trinity Catholic Collage, Live Action 5' Australia 2003
"Miss Dust is a new teacher at school and zaps every student with her cane who cannot solve a mathematical problem. Until a bright student solves the problem and she gets zapped and disappears. Then she finds herself in a Rose Garden where she is so happy smelling the flowers and sniffing fresh air."

Sugar and Spice Katerina Lonergan / Channel Free, Experimental 4' Australia 2003
"Life as an adolescent is not all sugar and spice…a freeze frame in the inertia of life at school. An experimental film showing four girls in the school yard, walking in the bush and studying hard for exam."

Winston Gene Alberts / Channel Free, Experimental 4' Australia 2003 (2nd Place)
"To conform to the average life of a male, is to conform to the average thinking in the mind."

WORLD SPORTS EXPO FOR YOUTH
A visual and audiovisual art exhibition

1. THE PROJECT

The message of the Olympic Games (Citius, Altius, Fortius) Athlima in Greek means sport; on a second level it means struggle, a creative struggle to be faster, higher, stronger. The Olympic Spirit rewards excellence in sport and in culture, in a struggle where participation is more important than victory. In this connection, the Athlima World Sports Expo promotes youth creativity and artistic achievements through the encounter between diverse world cultures. It brings together youngsters from Europe and the rest of the world in a vast project of global participation.

The context of the exhibition
As indicated, Athlima means sport and this is the theme of the global exhibition to be organized in Athens in July and August 2004. The exhibition is to feature visual, audiovisual and web-based creations addressed to children as well as art creations produced by children. It aims at highlighting the world's impressive cultural diversity and encouraging intercultural exchange. It focuses on knowledge and active promotion of the world's different cultural identities.

The exhibition likewise encourages intercultural exchange, contributing to cultural bridge building, the development of new conceptual tools and the enhancement of communication skills, optimizing the global socio-cultural encounter. Each country contributes art creations covering the entire history of sport and focusing attention on the current situation in youth sport, as an index of the social synergy and cultural expressiveness of all its citizens. Moreover, through expansion of the contemporary visual arts the past, present and future of youth sports is creatively endorsed in each country within a process of evolving a common European mosaic or artistic expression on a theme of broad social relevance.

The selection of the art works is carried out through networks with members and core action groups all over the continent, so as to ensure large-scale representation of young people and artists from all European countries. The networks involved have made an acknowledged contribution to other European cultural projects at present being implemented with wide social and cultural support.

An on-line service hosting the international dialogue between youngsters and artists supports the exhibition operation, enhancing its European character and ensuring worldwide dissemination of the relevant information. This service, together with the ongoing collaboration with global networks promoting youth art, serves to secure representative participation of non-European countries in the project. The exhibition aims to carry out an indicative mapping of the international situation and a wide-ranging and detailed presentation of European realities at an historic moment when the Olympic Games are returning to their birthplace.

After the Games it is proposed that the exhibition be made mobile and embark on a tour of the countries inside and outside Europe that are in a position to meet the costs of hosting it.

2. AIMS OF THE PROJECT

· The promotion of European audiovisual and web-based art creation addressed to children
· The encouragement of children's creative work in audiovisual and web-based arts
· Emphasis on cultural bridge-building in order to focus on the world's cultural diversity and identify points of convergence between Mediterranean countries through a constant flow of information establishing the basis for intercultural synergy
· The development of a common approach to children's sport as a basic question of education and culture and a medium of communication
· The comparison of what is offered by the professionals with the images perceived by children and the elaboration of a creative dialogue between developers and users of visual, audiovisual and web-based products.
· The determination of a common global position on children's sport, as expressed in visual, audio-visual and net-based products; the promotion of pictures by children and the views and demands of children pertaining to the fields of physical exercise and sport; the development of input into state policy-making on children's sport as well as into aesthetic and audiovisual education.
· The establishment of a decisive cultural and financial role for youth sports in the global socioeconomic structure

3. MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION

Informing and communication
Information dissemination and continuous communication with the organizational centre is to be effected through specific structures with specialization in children's sport and in visual and audiovisual education.

Television channels and websites presenting the development of the organization and the art education structures will both have an important role to play in this connection.

Each country will activate sports associations and other related organizations to provide us with a general overview of sports education at the national level. State and private television networks will present the audiovisual products being made available to youngsters for their information and education in relation to sport. Our research collaborators in each country will identify websites carrying useful information, so that the corresponding organizational department can liaise with them and establish the appropriate links. Art networks will be responsible for transmission of information and selection from all member countries of the visual art material created by children for the Athlima project.

3.2 Presentation of material
The exhibition is specially designed to group together entries from each participating country and to be accessible to both adult visitors and children. It will include symbols and other components that will provide a fitting embodiment for the sports message of each country and numerous artistic works created by children for the project.

Exhibition planning will be focused on attracting interest from children. It will be an event oriented primarily towards children, leading them and inspiring them to search for the different cultural characteristics of each country as they relate to the significant, popular and accessible theme of sport.

The presentation of audiovisual products is to be conducted through pre-installed monitors, video-walls and info points. Moreover, individual screening booths will be in operation for the duration of the exhibition, with public screening scheduled in accordance with the timetable.

All web-based products are to be presented in real time through individual PC monitors and pre-installed video-walls and info points.

All sections of the exhibition are to be constantly on-line, connected through a PC link operated by the information and communication service.

The exhibition will fully covered and promoted by television channels, the press and Internet.

The official catalogue will be available in four languages for the duration of the exhibition.

4. ORGANIZATION

Organization gets under way with the approval of the project and will come to an end by June 2004.

The exhibition is to last two months, with public participation expected from all parts of Greece. Though focused on European participation, it will also accept contributions from anywhere outside Europe. Governmental, non-governmental and international organizations specialized in visual, audiovisual and web-based production and in education will all be involved in co-organization. The exhibition will be made mobile and will go on a tour, for at least two weeks, of countries requesting a visit and able to cover the expenses.

Co-organizers and partners are to be assigned specific roles. Co-organizers will bear five percent of the costs and will undertake suitable specialized tasks. Partners will be responsible for their own national participation and for disseminating information on the project. The project's co-ordinating committee will work out conditions of participation for professionals and children, which will be publicized internationally.

Both co-organizers and partners will be responsible for bringing together the visual, audio-visual and web-based creations and submitting them to the co-ordinating committee, on which all co-organizers will be represented.

The coordinating committee will be charged with securing a suitable exhibition venue and planning the tour. It will find the premises for the lectures, workshops and ancillary functions. It will establish the committees responsible for transport, receipt, maintenance and dispatch of the works.

An international evaluation committee will be set up to take responsibility for acceptance of works into the exhibition. People of distinction from the arts and the audiovisual world will make symbolic awards to both professionals and young artists at the exhibition's closing reception.

Workshops, lectures and other ancillary functions for organized groups of children and professionals will be staged at regular intervals and on request.

Exhibition preparations and publicity will be concentrated at a specially created website, capable of attracting lively participation from all over the world. The virtual exhibition will be hosted on the website starting from August 2004 and for two months following the completion of the tour.

The exhibition tour is tentatively programmed to get under way by October 2004.