The launch of the Curious Dreams magazine saw Redfern Town Hall transformed into an art gallery for a night
Redfern Town Hall was transformed into an art gallery for a night with guests travelling from all over Sydney to attend the Curious Dreams magazine launch. The magazine launch and exhibition were the concluding events from a project run in partnership with Sydney-based photographer and educator, Saskia Wilson. The project involved a series of ten participatory photography workshops, providing young people with the space to express themselves and to take ownership of their story, telling it in the way they wanted it to be known. It was interesting to note that the conveying of such experiences through a creative outlet encouraged the revelation of tales that may otherwise have remained unknown.
The launch was a great success, with over eighty attendees and incredible numbers in magazine sales. The profit made from the magazines will directly benefit our youth programs, allowing for more opportunities and experiences to be made available to our young people. Members of the audience were mesmerised by the exhibition and were thrilled to be able to hear from one of the exhibiting photographers, Basma, who gave an enlightening account of her journey to healing through art.
SBS took a closer look into the stories of other exhibiting photographers, Wasam and Simon. After invasions, killings and kidnappings, Wasam’s family were forced to flee from Iraq, joining approximately 60 000 other Mandaeans who are now all over the world. Simon was also forced to flee from his home country of Syria, seeking refuge in Australia. For both Simon and Wasam, the ability to share their stories through art has had tremendous impacts, allowing them to remedy aspects of their past whilst sharing their journeys in a positive manner.
Find out more about Wasam and Simon’s stories here.
A special thank you to Saskia Wilson, photographer and educator, and to Contact Sheet for their support.
