Lismore Campus

 

The 2018 Fusion Festival was held at Lismore campus on Wednesday 29 August 2018 with the festival program commencing around 11:45am and concluding at approximately 2:00pm.

The festival was launched by Southern Cross University's Vice President (Global) Mr Monty Singh and a welcome to country was given by respected Widjabal Bundjalung Elder Aunty Irene Harrington.

Food-tasting

Festival-goers were able to taste free samples of cuisines from around the world! The menu included pastas, tarts and slices, spring rolls and curry puffs, dahl, vegetarian curry, sushi, bush-tucker desserts, Dutch pancakes and an Aussie BBQ.

Tea-tasting offered; green tea, Chinese black tea, mulberry leaf tea, jasmine tea, coconut tea (low caffiene) and oriental twist (green tea with jasmine flowers and lychees).

Festival Highlights

Mitch King 

 

Mitch King is a Yaegl Bundjalung man from the Far North Coast region of NSW. Mitch has a passion in working to empower youth. 

A creative producer specialising in hip hop music and dance and a founding member of the legendary local group Teddy Lewis King, Mitch has been working at NORPA as an Associate Producer and Associate Artist since 2014. 

Mitch adapted his recent NORPA performance piece from the "Horses Mouth” specially for the Fusion Festival.

This important work explores the universal theme of ‘water' through Indigenous land title protests.  

Calypso Momento

Calypso Momento, formed in the heart of the rainbow region, are your ticket to a tropical island holiday. This high energy band got the dance floor bouncing with their collection of party music sourced from the sounds of Latin America and the Caribbean sea.

Comprised of students and alumni of Southern Cross University’s Music degree, Calypso Momento presented a set of fun and exciting original music and classic island vibes in their own interpretations of authentic Calypso genres like Soca, Dancehall, Ska and Samba.

Monkey Monkey Shake Shake

Described as a “neo-Dada, punk-crafted explosion” (Byron Arts Magazine), Monkey Monkey Shake Shake mash up music, performance, costume, dance, art, comedy, animation and film - creating their own irresistible mythology, characters, and genre-defying world.

Inspired by a bear, they danced and filmed the Grizzly Bear song on the streets of Byron and Brisbane. Then Tokyo… then Seoul.

There was a spark that crossed culture, age, genders and all kinds of boundaries. People came out of their shell. So they wrote more songs, made more costumes, and performed on more streets, at a rabbi party, a gallery in Seoul, Brisbane Powerhouse, Splendour in the Craft 2016-18, Falls Festival ‘17, beaches, train stations, and AGI Open - the world's biggest design conference.

Monkey Monkey Shake Shake shared their joy through musical performances and were a festival favourite of the children from the University's Child Care Centre.

 Áine Tyrrell

 

Story is at the forefront for troubadour Áine Tyrrell whose rich songwriting practice draws deeply on her Irish roots.

'I am Irish,’ says  Áine, ‘but there is a real sense of place in Australia in my music. It’s not strictly Irish and it’s not Australian. I am so proud of the musical heritage I come from. The sense of tradition musically is grounding, but tradition in its essence has boundaries, expectations, and ingrained rules. Leaving home made me push my music and myself out of that box. It has given me permission to break the rules,’ she says. ‘I have learned to draw from that deep well, but I value the freedom I have to express it in my way and I have Australia to thank for that.’

Áine has had successful headline tours around Australia, Europe and Ireland as well as performing at Woodford Folk Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Mullum Music Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival and Electric Picnic in Ireland. She has earned the reputation of being an unmissable live act.

Couch Conversations

 

Dr Leticia Anderson from the University's School of Arts & Social Sciences faciliated bite-sized conversations with performers and students during the festival. In her role as Lecturer in Humanities at Southern Cross University, Leticia primarily teaches in the area of Cultural Studies. Leticia has a dual research speciality in inclusive and transformational higher education and on race relations and Islamophobia in contemporary Australian society. 

Leticia's 'couch conversations' provided festival-goers with an intimate insight into the people who are performing and those who are part of the diverse University community and an opportunigty to experience a deeper understanding of their cultural backgrounds and experiences.

Dogtown

Kim McLean and Marcus Peace are Dogtown. Honouring a tradition of music that was developed and handed down on porches and in dance halls, used as a form of expression of woes and community inclusion as a catharsis for troubled times.

This duo strip back the modern day and distill the essence of simplicity and connection through musical story-telling. 

Liliana Andres Hernandez

 

Liliana Andres Hernandez, a PhD student from Mexico, performed a Mexican folklore dance and shared the tradition behind piñatas. A piñata is a decorated figure, usually of an animal, containing hidden treats that is suspended above the crowd and broken open as part of a celebration.

Liliana invited festival-goers to participate in breaking her hand-made traditional piñata to reveal the Mexican treasures inside. 

Festival Information Stalls & Activities

Henna Harem

Henna Harem pops-up at a number of music and cultural festivals throughout the year.  They see henna body adornment as a great accompaniment to celebrations of culture. 

Henna Harem provides a professional service using a natural, hand-mixed plant paste. All work is delicately hand-drawn, allowing flexibility of design.  

Relax whilst being adorned and let henna’s magic weave around you.

Wear it Purple

Wear it Purple is a national movement to support the health and well-being of young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. Wear It Purple lets young people know that they have the right to be proud of who they are regardless of their sex, sexuality or gender identity. Wear it Purple is simple ... it is about respect.

Wear It Purple aims to create a world safe for all young people, regardless of their gender or sexual identity, in which they are free to learn, grow and belong.

The Equity & Diversity Office and QSCU hosted a Wear It Purple information stall at the festival. Festival-goers were invited to wear purple to show their support.

Japanese Cultural Display

Festival-goers were able to visit a Japanese cultural stall to experience origami and find out about opportunities to do a study exchange at a university in Japan as part of their degree.

Fusion Festival Photo Booth

Festival-goers could grab a keepsake of their Fusion Festival experience in the festival's Photo Booth. 

Festival Schedule

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