News Release:
Armidale arts add new dimension to ecology
| Date 12/11/03 No 201/03 Singing, dancing, drama and art work will inspire delegates to next month's national ecological conference at the University of New England to think creatively about communicating their environmental messages. The conference on December 8, 9 and 10 will challenge ecologists, who are used to exploring the way organisms relate to their environment, to consider how they can relate their work to society in general with the help of the arts. Delegates to the 28th annual conference of the Ecological Society of Australia will be both informed and entertained by performances that have been specially created to be in harmony with the various themes of the conference. The main themes will be represented in several different mediums: an ecological artist, Anna Curtis, has been commissioned to create a conference image, several other artists will be providing installations to enhance the setting of the conference, and the ecological band 'Tre Los Lantana' will present a cabaret. Most of the artists are local Armidale people, including a renowned group of Armidale High School student performers and the ceramic artists Rick and Suzanne Hatch who have created mugs for the delegates decorated with ecological themes. "There are high hopes for the arts program," said its
coordinator, David Curtis of UNE. "The opening should be quite
spectacular, with the dance group 'Body Moves' presenting a section
of the up-coming local production The Plague and the Moonflower. |
In addition, didgeridoo player Duan Pittman and the Armidale Sing NSW Choir will perform. The closing will be impressive as well, with an ecological circus that will use juggling, balancing and choreographed unicycles to depict the complex balances and cycles that ecologists examine in their quest for ecological sustainability." The conference is encouraging delegates and their partners to visit the many art galleries in Armidale, and is putting together a special tour featuring various exhibitions and artists that have an ecological theme. The Ecological Society of Australia conference will open with a public symposium titled "Australia’s Environmental Challenge: Ecological Science in Decision Making", featuring several of the high-profile Wentworth Group of scientists. Organisers encourage everybody who has an interest in the interactions between science, government and community, and the future of natural resource management in Australia, to come along to this public symposium. It is to be held in Lazenby Hall at UNE on Monday 8 Dec from 8.30 am to 12 noon. Morning tea will be served, and people planning to attend are asked to contact Bec Wood on 6773 2539 for catering purposes. Media contact: David Curtis at UNE (02) 6773 5142, or Clare Zagami, UNE Public Relations, (02) 6773 3955. |
