People In Your Neighbourhood
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People In Your Neighbourhood is a project from the British Council New Zealand, which is part of their global initiative to create diverse and inclusive cities, and inter-cultural dialogues.
The project involves aspiring artists and performers from Auckland's ethnic communities, working with the best of contemporary UK talent, to create an album, and perform a live music show.People In Your Neighbourhood is a project from the British Council New Zealand, which is part of their global initiative to create diverse and inclusive cities, and inter-cultural dialogues.
The project involves aspiring artists and performers from Auckland's ethnic communities, working with the best of contemporary UK talent, to create an album, and perform a live music show.The title "People in your Neighbourhood" is used both as a reference to the increasing multi-ethnicity of Auckland City, and as a vehicle to show the potential for intercultural collaboration in the arts in our rapidly changing City.
The British Council has an established global network of emerging leaders in the Arts, and a reputation for high quality delivery of cutting-edge projects.
For this project BCNZ is involving the acclaimed UK string collective Urban Soul Orchestra, and partnering with the Office of Ethnic Affairs, The Asia New Zealand Foundation and the NZ Human Rights Commission.
The Album:
Working with some of the emerging artists amongst Auckland's Asian, Polynesian, Hispanic and European communities, an album is being recorded that includes ethnic musicians and songwriters, alongside modern Kiwi urban producers and artists, collaborating to create a work that has modern production values, whilst still retaining distinct elements of culture.
The bulk of the tracks will include both English and another language.
The album will act like long strands of a net, reaching out into ethnic communities in NZ and drawing the music back to a central creative hub.
The idea is to create "stars" in each community.
The Show:
In conjunction with the giveaway album release and promotion, there is a live show to showcase the intercultural aspects of the project.
It is a choreographed multimedia event with the main motifs of movement and ethnicity (for example traditional Chinese strings, Pacific drumming, Asian street breaking, African dancing etc). It also involves street fashion elements based on the rawness of the underground Styles Upon Styles show.
The show will form a platform for the visual promotion of PIYN both as a recording and as a dynamic live experience.
Show dates for 2009 are March 12th Auckland and March 14th WOMAD Taranaki.
We are also documenting the recording and rehearsal process on film. The aim is to produce a documentary detailing the day to day human drama of the People IYN project, while showing the involvement of a diverse group of artists and performers both in NZ and later touring overseas.
The Urban Soul Orchestra
(www.urbansoulorchestra.co.uk) was formed in the mid 90's by violinist and string arranger Stephen Hussey in response to a demand for a new generation of progressive and forward thinking string musicians, who embraced and encompassed the cosmopolitan and diverse music scene in London.
Made up of a multi-cultural blend of London's finest instrumentalists, the USO have spent 15 years collaborating with many of the industry's most celebrated and successful artists including Soul to Soul, Gabrielle, Nitin Sawhney, Groove Armada, Keane, M-People, Sly and Robbie, Omar and Shola Ama.
USO are in a league of their own when it comes to adding the lushness of strings to recorded and live music, from community and ethnic based projects to some of the most well regarded modern artists of our time.
The British Council NZ is bringing 3-4 members of USO to NZ to perform as part of the two shows. The orchestra will record their parts for the album in London November 2008.
As live players USO will greatly enhance the People IYN live performance, and also add a unique depth to the recordings.
OUTCOMES
"¢ Involvement of inner city Ethnic youth with marketing directly targeting and communicating with them in Korean, Chinese and Hindi. The quarter of a million Asian people in Auckland is identified as the key demographic to reach.
"¢ Providing an opportunity for diverse NZ artists to actively participate with UK recording, live performance and arrangement expertise.
"¢ A world-class cultural album and live event which enhances intercultural dialogue within Auckland city and its uniquely Asian -Pacific flavour, and extends the participants' experience by providing a forum for this dialogue.
"¢ Providing an opportunity to experience intercultural events not otherwise available in NZ. The beginning of meaningful engagement of ethnic youth with mainstream music producers.
"¢ Allowing ethnic groups to hold on to their distinct culture while also experiencing mainstream Kiwi culture. Fostering a sense of belonging, and a desire to engage in the arts.
The People IYN project aims to contribute to Auckland City's social fabric, by allowing ethnic community stars to be part of a recording, live show and documentary that shows the global diverse face of the city, while collaborating with some of the UK's finest modern composers and instrumentalists from USO.
It will also enhance Aucklanders' perception of living in the city, by providing a precedent for inter-cultural arts practices, and a forum for its emerging creative cultural leaders.
04/02/09