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Parramatta Artists’ Studios shares their reflections on its much-loved event Words/Sounds at the 2021 Festival.
On April 29 at The Female Factory in Parramatta, six writers and five electronica artists brought their stories of family, community, displacement and hope to one of Australia’s most significant and spellbinding historic sites.
The audience sat under a giant covered walkway, in front of a sandstone courtyard and church that is rarely accessed by the public. The performance was a roving one and the audience was guided as to where performances would take place next through light-scapes that lit up and faded as performers appeared at different locations around the venue. The performance began with a dance composed by the Jannawi Dance Clan to honour the stories of this place and then continued with writers reading their work to electronica music which was specifically composed for the event.
Audiences had an opportunity to really feel and engage with the site as well as eat and drink and meet all the artists involve. The book table sold out within twenty minutes.
Featuring sounds by The New Age Noise Collective and words by The Finishing School and special guests, performers included Vivian Pham, Yumna Kassab, Kavita Bedford, Hajer, Brittany Searle, Zarlasht Sarwari, Liana Molina, Liliana Occhiuto, Xiaoran Shi and Ailsa Liu and was directed by Faith Chaza and Felicity Castagna. It was proudly supported by Parramatta Artists’ Studios, an initiative of The City of Parramatta. Venue support was provided by the NSW Government through the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.