Celebrate Australia 2010: Celebrating Australian Culture and the Arts
The Australian Embassy in Manila will celebrate its National Day on the 26th of January with a series of activities that will showcase Australian culture, including indigenous music and contemporary glass art.
Australia Day marks the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of ships from Great Britain in Sydney Cove in 1788, heralding the beginning of European settlement of the Australian continent.
“Today, the event serves as a day of reflection on Australia’s ancient and enduring Indigenous culture and a celebration of our democratic, free and multicultural society,” Ambassador Rod Smith said.
“The celebration is also an opportunity to highlight the achievements of our relationship with the Philippines. This has grown significantly in recent years as seen by the depth and breadth of our engagement including in development assistance, defence, law enforcement and security cooperation, and trade and investment. Significantly, more than 200,000 people of Philippine descent have made Australia their home.”
Celebrate Australia 2010 will feature a number of cultural activities including performances and university master classes by Didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton and the Orava String Quartet. Their unique sound bridges ancient indigenous and Western musical traditions, and has been heard in some of the world’s prestigious venues.
“Their music is part of Australia’s vibrant cultural and artistic scene, influenced by the unique blend of the world’s oldest continuous cultural traditions and rich mix of migrant cultures,” Ambassador Smith said.
Celebrate Australia 2010 will also present ‘White Hot: Contemporary Australian Glass’ – an exhibition featuring the works of eight internationally renowned and celebrated Australian glass artists: Nadege Desgenetez, Wendy Fairclough, Deirdre Feeney, Jessica Loughlin, Tom Moore, Brenden Scott French, Itzell Tazzyman and Janice Vitkovsky.
Visiting Curator and Creative Director of Canberra Glassworks, Clare Belfrage, and participating artist Jessica Loughlin will hold talks at the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts and Ayala Museum on 27 January. Presented by Asialink in partnership with Craft ACT and Canberra Glassworks, the exhibition will be at the Ayala Museum, Makati City, from 27 January to 26 February.
Celebrate Australia 2010 also features a mixed media exhibition of manipulated photography by Philippine-based Australian artist Henry Bateman entitled ‘An Aussie in Manila’. The exhibit will run from 28 January to 21 February at the Sining Kamalig Art Gallery, Gateway Mall, Cubao, Quezon City.
As part of the celebrations, the Australian Embassy in partnership with the Australian Centre for Moving Images will treat De La Salle-College of St Benilde, University of Asia and the Pacific, UP Los Baños and UP Manila to screenings of select Australian films from 29 January to 12 February. This year’s theme, ‘One Country, Many Faces’ will showcase films that depict Australia’s multicultural society.
The Australian Trade Commission will hold a Tayo na sa Australia bazaar featuring Australian beauty products and fashion accessories such as Nature’s Organics, Skin Doctors, Holster Footwear and Bico Australia from 28-29 January and 1-2 February at the Podium 3, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.
Lifestyle channel 2nd Avenue will run a month-long (30 January-28 February) trivia competition on Australia, giving viewers the chance to win two roundtrip tickets to Sydney with Qantas and a two-night VIP stay at the Medina Apartment Hotel. Viewers will also get the chance to win weekly prizes from Harvey Fresh, Australia Harvest Oats, Ideal Gourmet Pasta, Paton's Chocolates, Bega Cheese, Dinelli Gourmet and other Australian food items from Landmark Supermarket.
Celebrate Australia 2010 is presented by the Australian Embassy in partnership with Ayala Museum, Greenbelt 3, Alabang Town Center, TriNoma, Somerset Millennium, 2nd Avenue, Qantas, Tourism Australia, Medina Apartment Hotel, Wine Depot, Vittoria Coffee and ClicktheCity.com. For more details contact 7578132 or visit www.philippines.embassy.gov.au.