Ivanhoe arts project wins first prize at international festival

Brian Cohen and Tara Prowse – working together as digital art team TRAX – won first place at the 2009 Future Places international digital medial festival in Portugal for their work Outhouse from the Ivanhoe arts project with Outback Youth Theatre and West Darling Arts.

Festival organisers said, "This project is not just a humorous gimmick but a serious tool for enhancing the knowledge, development and preservation of community. Combining innovation, creativity, originality and digital technology, Outhouse unites yesterday and today in a way that cuts to the heart of the ongoing mission of the Future Places Festival."

Outhouse was developed from a three month Artist in Residence project initiated by Outback Theatre for Young People in partnership with West Darling Arts, which Brian and Tara undertook in Ivanhoe during June 2009. Brian and Tara made a real impact on the Ivanhoe community, engaging with local youth and the Paarkantji Elders through several art projects including the short film Bush Cubby and the multimedia play Under Me Skin.

Brian and Tara will return to Ivanhoe in 2010 to continue their project and work with the CAMRA research team.

Read about TRAX on their blog at www.trax.org.