The Vanished Musicians
Audio resettled | Mythology redefined
Inspired by Dr Albrecht Dümling’s “Die Verschwundenen Musiker” 7th to 25th August
Nishi Gallery, New Acton
WWII: Ninety-six musicians flee Germany to settle in Australia, many forced to leave their homeland for playing blacklisted jazz. After internment in the desert as enemy aliens, many are forced to abandon their art when immigration officials insist on practical labour skills as a condition of entry. Most downplay their talent to enter safe haven, then disappear into obscurity. Few ever work publicly as musicians again.
“Internecine: The Vanished Musicians” showcases an innovative collaboration between local visual artists and international sound designers: in superimposing an audio/visual narrative onto Swing-era history, the contributors celebrate the silent contribution of the modern refugee. Running parallel to the exhibition is an online collaborative remix project; the community is invited to rework open source audio and video from the project under Creative Commons copyright, for display on the project’s Tumblr.
Participating audio artists: y0t0, Hessien, Isnaj Dui, Nik Harrison, Antonymes, Markus Mehr, Makee, Glen Knuckles, Almeeva, The New Honey Shade and Danny Grody. Participating visual artists: Charles Sage, Margo Piefke, Ian M Hazeldine, Jane Sage, Paul Martin and Tropical Gloom.
Proceeds from sales will to be donated to project partners – the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees and Refugee Advice & Casework Service.
A digital landscape of socially conscious intertextual transmedia, “Internecine” is a vibrant display of experimental cross platform arts from the Canberra region.
Project partners include:
- Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
- United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees
- Refugee Advice & Casework Service
- 102.5 Fine Music FM and Cybil Baer for allowing the use of excerpts of historical 1992 radio broadcast “Werner Baer Remembered” (2MBS FM Sydney, presented by Audrey Manning)
- Archive of Australian Judaica – for use of the above archival radio recording
- Albrecht Duemling – author of ‘Die verschwundenen Musiker’
- Fluid Radio – UK independent online experimental radio station and blog
- Into Tomorrow – arts consultancy and financial planning agency assisting with logistics, grants and strategic oversight
- Halstead Press and Dr Diana Weekes – Australian independent publisher and translator supporting the English translation of ‘The Vanished Musicians’
- EoR Media – DVD design and multimedia consultancy
- Nishi Gallery – project exhibitors, August 2015
- Infidel Studios – recording partner and audio consultancy for remix component
- Australian Artists For Asylum Seekers – musical collective responsible for compilation ‘Christmas Benefit 2014’, proceeds directed to the ASRC
- Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung – a foundation for the preservation of German film heritage, including titles “The Blue Angel” and “Metropolis”