The Vanished Musicians
Audio resettled. Mythology redefined.
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’ is seeking collaborators to participate in an online video/remix project that benefits Australian refugee charities. During 2014/2015, Antonymes, Markus Mehr, Makee, Glen Knuckles, ALMEEVA, The New Honey Shade and Danny Grody completed a remix album, ‘Resettled’, for the project, based on a string arrangement inspired by refugee Werner Baer’s arrangement of Jewish hymn ‘Emet Ki Ata’. The stems for the completed remixes have been made available. Video footage from the York Piano Cemetery, shot for an associated aspect of the project, has also been made available for download and rework on the project Vimeo channel.
‘Resettled’ can be downloaded at the project Bandcamp for $10AU, with the proceeds going directly to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne, Australia’s largest provider of services, which protect, support and empower people seeking asylum. The ASRC provides aid, justice and empowerment programs to over 1000 asylum seekers living in the community seeking refugee protection, run by a team of volunteer and paid staff.
Proceeds of sales from resubmitted remixes will be directed to project partnered refugee charities such as the ASRC, RACS & UNHCR Australia.
The project is designed as an opportunity for collaborative participants to demonstrate the hidden contribution of the modern refugee, and an opportunity to show community support for their position. As the project is for charity, no payment is offered for remix and contributions are submitted under the understanding that whilst the artist will be recognised as the author of the work, it is open to rework under the same copyright conditions.
All perspectives are encouraged – of particular interest are female and cross-cultural interpretations. Please be advised that offensive or objectionable submissions will be immediately deleted and that it is neither big, nor clever, to swear. Submissions will be subject to moderation, and inclusion in the project is at the discretion of project co-ordinators and partners. Merit is not judged subjectively, but the 2015 ACT Arts Policy Principles will be applied in choosing material for eventual inclusion.
http://internecined.tumblr.com
https://internecine.bandcamp.com/album/resettled