So wrote Jane Salmon-Donovan in her post Festival media release: a good over view but it barely touches the buzz of the inaugural Two Fires Festival which was organised as a collaboration between the Globalism Institute of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and local Braidwood residents with support from ANTaR, Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation.
The vision of Two Fires was contained in a statement by Martin Mulligan of the Globalism Institute in the official program and it read inter alia:
"All activists reach points of despair about the difficulty of challenging deeply engrained beliefs and practices. What we learn from the life and work of Judith Wright is that it is valuable to move beyond one domain of activism and to find creative ways to express our concerns and ideas. This festival brings together communities of activists and artists who may otherwise operate separately and it places and emphasis on how the two fires of arts and activism can constantly rekindle each other. It is being held in Braidwood, the last of several places that Judith Wright was deeply committed to. Yet it is also a celebration and exploration of her national role as a leader in diverse communities of concern."
The inaugural Two Fires Festival program comprised lots of interesting panel discussion sessions, poetry readings, art exhibitions, forest walks, concerts, film screenings and a splendid parade which culminated in a performance of shadow puppetry, dance and drumming in Braidwood's central park.
Braidwood is small colonial village (pop.1200) in the Southern Highlands on the highway between Canberra and the coast, a home for many working artists and retirees. The Festival used venues all about the village.
So much to see and do, no-one could have taken in all the program and Peacebus.com was but a bit player. Nationally esteemed and locally resident eco-feminist and defender of forests, Val Plumwood, had invited Graeme to exhibit some of his campaign banners and flags in an Art of Activism exhibition in the School Hall.
She was also invited him to contribute to an Art of Activism panel discussion along with Michael Gill and Christine Payne of the Monga Forest Campaign and John Reid, the director of the Arts School of the Australian National University.
The exhibition was a last minute collaboration of activist artists curated by Mandi Lamont, a local artist recently returned to Braidwood, her mothers home town. She invited Graeme and his nomad companion to camp at her Braidwood home and Graeme and his nomad activist companion, John Peace, had a great time basking in the hospitality of Mandi's kitchen.
The Monga is a patch of Gondwana forest on the coastal escarpment about 25 km from Braidwood. Recently declared a National Park, it had been saved from a proposal to make it a resource for an industrial charcoal factory by a vigorous campaign of locals. There was a sense that the inaugural Two Fires was a victory celebrations for the Monga forest rescue and a beautiful book about the Monga was launched at the Festival.
Local artist Michael Gill had produced splendid banners, with splendid and flyers for the Monga campaign and these were on display and there were distinguished by the fine draughtsmanship of their lettering which Michael explained had been achieved by using templates and felt tipped pens.
When Michael got an opportunity to talk about the Art of Activism he first paid tribute to Graeme's banners which hung behind the speakers. Then with great generosity of spirit he proceeded to thank the people involved in the Monga campaign, his voice breaking with emotion: gratitude as an art of activism.
Graeme for his part took his panel presentation outdoors to demonstrate" the art of getting noticed". With flags and banners he occupied the front yard of the old Braidwood courthouse and, with speaker horns on top of Happy Wheels, he set up an amplified SpeakOut and encouraged those present to have a say (see above). As always strangers came forward and surprised and stimulated us with their insights, experiences and concerns.
Graeme did not see much the Festival outside the Braidwood Central School Hall but he was mighty stimulated by the meetings he had and the affirmations he received for his flags and banners. As a result Graeme is committed to returning to Braidwood in 2006 and producing a flag project which will deck the main street of Braidwood with the art of activism.
Here below are some photos of some of the scenes and some of the folk at the inaugural Two Fires taken by Jane Salmon. Far from being a representative selection.
Peacebus.com outside the Art of Activism Exhibition at the Braidwood Central School.
Graeme's "Viva Timbarra" banner hanging in the Art of Activism exhibition
Michael Gill's, "Bob Carr You Sad Truckwit" banner
Graeme's "Another World is Possible" banner
Val Plumwood
Two Fires Festival bookshop with Judith Wrights books on sale.
Local activism. The local Council had refused to change the name of the Braidwood library to the Judith Wright library
Val Plumwood poses with birds from the Two Fires parade of the night before
Two Fires Festival debrief of Monday 21 March. From left Barry Waters, Martin Mulligan and Arthur.
Sarah and Simon, two of the younger artist-activists, guests at Val Plumwood's Plumwood Mountain (Mild) home
