IN FOCUS: ARCHIVE

Jim Spain has dedicated himself to the craft of Bush Verse, specialising in modern rhymes for current times. The Lansvale poet has been writing since 1979, sparked by an inner need, and spurred on by a community course.

Jim loves travelling, finding inspiration along the road for his verse. He is deeply passionate about Australia and all her idiosyncrasies and frequently draws on this sentiment in his work.

A regular participant on the local festival circuit, reciting his work across the city and in far-flung regional areas, Jim recently turned his attention to his local zone and participated in Riverbeats, Parramatta’s riverside creative extravaganza. Jim’s Haiku poetry was part of the live Light and Sound performance, which also included a special composition by the internationally acknowledged ensemble, Synergy Percussion. Along with a selection of Haiku from other writers, Jim’s work was recited and projected on massive screens along the banks of Parramatta River.   MORE

Believing that with creativity “you can never be wrong”, Roxie Vuong is well on her way along the twisting and turning path of filmmaking.

Roxie started her film career making fun birthday videos for friends in high school, progressing to her first documentary as an HSC student about her family’s migrant experience coming to Australia from Vietnam.

The 19 year old UTS student now turns her attentions to her latest project, a film about youth culture, for which she’s been awarded the highly coveted TropWest Scholarship that will give her a helping hand to get her film off the ground and into production ready for screening in Movie Extra TropFest 2010.

TropWest, which is managed by ICE in partnership with Screen NSW and Movie Extra TropFest, is an annual event that fosters emerging filmmakers from Western Sydney.   MORE

A 1951 Electricity Commission building today houses one of Western Sydney’s most vibrant creative hubs, the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.

Located on Tharawal country, on the banks of the Georges River within the City of Liverpool, the Powerhouse originally supplemented electricity production during winter and power shortages. Today - following a recent major refurbishment - it provides an injection of artistic energy into the local community, housing seven galleries, a 326 seat theatre, three artist studios, green open spaces across 20 hectares of parklands, and a collection of public artworks.

Despite the removal of the heavy machinery from the heritage listed site, the building’s architects were able to save many evocative elements that lend Casula some of the magic it holds today. Large coal hoppers hang suspended in the upper voids of the Boiler House, original light fittings and steelwork columns, beams, walkways and stairs all add to its ambience.

All year round the Casula Powerhouse presents exhibitions, performances and public events, drawing on the strength of its community to make work that resonates both locally and globally. With over 150 languages spoken in the local area, Casula strives to present the culturally diverse stories that allow audiences to reflection on the world.   MORE

Simon Cook gives back to nature every day. The Constitution Hill-based designer creates beautiful furniture from salvaged urban timber and natural hemp fibre. With a sensitivity to natural bushland and farm landscapes, Simon’s designs respond to nature and history and the biodiverse habitats from which his materials originate.

Simon’s penchant for ecologically innovative sculptural work and buildings resonates through his working themes around enriching and simplifying life: "Adding rather than removing history, habitat and value. Reducing consumption, waste and pollution". He is inspired by the phenomenon of colour and light, natural processes, birds’ nests, and the survival of remnant trees and species.

Simon’s work is held in public and private collections nationally. His first timber archetype furniture featured on the cover of Interior Architecture, and he represented Australia in Talentborse Handwerk Munich. Simon’s love of the landscape shows through in a creative synthesis of architectural design and environmental craftsmanship...   MORE

Jan Cornall teaches her students to embrace creativity: "It will never let you down and will take you on the most incredible journey every day of your life." Encouraged from an early age by her mother, Marjorie, a poet and artist, she soon learned that creativity is all you really need for ongoing happiness.

The prolific artist writes songs, musicals, plays, film scripts, novels, short stories, articles and performance poetry. As well as being a writer, Jan is also an accomplished singer, cabaret artist, jazzpunk musician and performance artist. Her first song was inspired by a chance encounter in which she was picked up by the road crew for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young while hitch-hiking across the USA in 1974.

She is inspired by the beauty of the everyday: "Shadows on a wall, the movement of wind, the sound of light rain on leaves outside my window"...   MORE

Tom Polo uses humour as an anchor point to engage with people. The Fairfield artist, who graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) with Honours from the College of Fine Arts, UNSW, has always had an interest in visual arts and late last year curated the exhibition I'm worse at what I do best at Parramatta Artists Studios.

The show featured ten Australian artists using text and humour to explore notions of success and failure, thereby expressing a corrosive anxiety about the human condition. Using irony, self-deprecation and defeatism, I'm worse at what I do best spotlighted the comfortable coping mechanisms created through novelty.

Not surprisingly then, Tom’s most recent interests have revolved around the use of text and humour to look at varying notions of success and failure in contemporary society. “I use painting and installation often in the form of motivational slogans and colloquialisms on banners and signage to relate to the practice and role of the artist and society” he explains.   MORE