"‘salmon cannon me into the abyss’ is a poetry EP made in collaboration with Felicity Yang, Hannah Wu, Jamie Marina Lau and Lei Lei Kung.

Dedicated to my dad, who died in 2017, it features four tracks that piece together moments, scenes and sensations of grief and loss.

I wrote my poems in fragments—on my Notes app, receipts, scraps of paper, work documents, text messages, emails to myself. I recorded my poems by speaking into a microphone through a stocking stretched over a hanger, or on my geriatric iPhone. Vocal processing changed my voice into new impressions and textures. Found sounds reference both the precious and banal, such as pearl extraction, orchestra tuning, cicadas, a clicking mouse and shimmering. I felt a sense of release in sending my recordings away to my friends, for them to return as something new. Catharsis crystallised into something else.

Eternal thanks to Amy Yu, Anita Solak, Chi Tran, Felicity Yang, Hannah Wu, Jamie Marina Lau, Lei Lei Kung, Lorilee Yang and Lu Lin for shaping ‘salmon cannon me into the abyss’.

This project is made possible by MAV and the Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellowship 2020."

Presented as part of MAV’s Ahead of the Curve program.

Supported by The Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

thinking about icecream by Felicity Yang x Panda Wong

eternal phone lock screen image by ZK king x Panda Wong

the first poem (an excerpt from angel wings dumpster fire) by Lilly Kane x Panda Wong

"We used this funding to grow and further establish our platform Bittersweet and Bittersweet Talks, a separate segment dedicated to highlighting and celebrating the stories of accomplished and inspirational people of colour in Australia.

As part of the project, we produced 6 pieces of work, 5 of which were part of the Bittersweet talk segment.

These included interviews with:
- Shilpa Bihm: The founder and editor of Glowreel, an online weekly newsletter dedicated to sharing the news, stories and achievements of women of colour in Australia.
- Aćol Agaar Apollo aka POOKIE: rapper, songwriter, composer and producer
- Chrissy Zemura: Hair Stylist, educator and business owner
- Malaan Ajang: International model
- Karinda Mutabazi: creative director and stylist

Overall the purpose of our project was to provide a platform for stories that are generally ignored in mainstream Australian media. We also wanted to create a sense of community by producing and showcasing relatable content made specifically for people of colour."

Presented as part of MAV’s Ahead of the Curve program.

Supported by The Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

Bittersweet Talks ft Shilpa Bihm

"We wanted to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to exploring various taboo topics in our communities. Creatively, we challenged ourselves to tap into diverse art-forms. Between the three of us, we produced a musical track, visual art piece and a filmed conversation.

Tapping into these diverse art-forms allowed us to explore different themes and ultimately express different experiences and viewpoints within those art-forms. For example, Official Stino and Lydia Tesema's song "Get It Right" (part 1) is a vulnerable expression of the learning, overcoming and succeeding during the pursuit of a passion.

Part 1 & 2: Get It Right (song and visual design)
The song expresses various emotions surrounding family expectations, generational disconnect, financial hardship and systemic limitations.

For part 2, a visual design was created to support the musical track. We engaged a POC film photographer to capture photos of Stino and Lydia in Stino's self-built recording studio. We experimented with red and yellow lights for the purpose of expressing strong opposing emotions.

The aim was to create a visual piece that closely captures the emotions that Stino and Lydia express in their track.

"We produced a three-part multidisciplinary project that explored inequity and disadvantage within our individual lived experiences and the broader African Australian community. Part 1) A musical track was written, recorded and produced, Part 2) A visual art piece was created using film photography and graphic design techniques and Part 3) A filmed conversation was presented and captured live at black-owned, Vola Foods.

We feel incredibly encouraged for being selected to produce this work. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to platform content that is deeply meaningful to us with the sincere support of MAV, each step of the way."

Presented as part of MAV’s Ahead of the Curve program.

Supported by The Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

https://mav.org.au/artworks/get-it-right-a-three-part-series-with-below-the-surface/

MAV

Popular tracks