SACRED ART WORKSHOP | EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORM An event of the Sydney Sacred Music Festival 2012 In September Parramatta is privileged to host the sacred sounds and art of Tibet as part of the Sydney Sacred Music Festival 2012. The host venue, Riverside Theatres, will be transformed by a unique Tibetan experience of visual arts, films and music. As part of the festival, contemporary artists are invited to attend a unique workshop, led by visiting monk Lama Khedup, in mindfulness and sacred art. Expressions of Interest must be received by 4pm Tuesday 21 August 2012. KEY WORKSHOP DETAILS Date & Time: Venue: Tutors: Fee: 8:30am – 3:30pm, 6 - 9 September 2012 (4-day workshop) Riverside Theatres, cnr Church & Market Streets, Parramatta Lama Khedup & Tenzin Choegyal $50 Adult, $40 concession WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION Tibetan Lama Khedup from Brisbane and world renowned Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal will be artists-in-residence at Parramatta Artists Studios. Over four days they will pass on the processes of creating sacred art to contemporary visual artists to produce new sacred artworks. Led by Lama Khedup, you will practice mindfulness and learn the skills and techniques of sand mandalas. You will also create your own mandala based on the theme of mindfulness using sand or materials relevant to your own artistic practice. At the conclusion of the workshop, your mandala will be displayed in the Lennox Theatre during a music performance featuring Tenzin Choegyal and several of Australia’s best world musicians. About Mindfulness The Buddha advocated that one should establish mindfulness in one's day-to-day life maintaining as much as possible a calm awareness of one's bodily functions, feelings, thought and perceptions as well as consciousness itself. Mindfulness is about relearning to devote our full attention to every action that we undertake. The aim of this form of meditation is to notice what is around and inside us, to observe our mind and change the way we respond. (Sources: wikipedia.org & novamagazine.com.au) Page 1 of 4 About Sand Mandalas Sand mandala making is a remarkably fine, intricate process, requiring patience, devotion, skill and creativity. Made from millions of grains of sand, mandalas are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks. The mandala is constructed from the centre outwards and is built from coloured sand. The mandala is, in essence, a visualization tool, a symbol of a perfect world in which we are all perfect beings practicing the pure loving kindness and compassion that is innate in all living beings. (Source: tenzinchoegyal.com) WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 5 September 2012 6:30 – 8:30pm Welcome and introduction to philosophy of Tibetan Sacred Art at Parramatta Artists Studios 6, 7 & 8 September 2012 8:30am Meditation led by Lama Khedup 9:30am – 12:00 Instructional workshop in sand mandala led by Lama Khedup 1:00pm – 3:30pm Artwork construction assisted by Tenzin Choegyal 1:00pm – 4:00pm Public viewing of works in progress 9 September 2012 8:30am 9:30am – 3:30pm 4:00pm – 6:00pm Meditation led by Lama Khedup Final artwork construction (with 1 hour lunch break) Concert performance and public viewing of artworks Other important details Expressions of Interest to be submitted by Tuesday 21 August 2012 Successful applicants will be notified by Thursday 23 August 2012 Artists must be available to attend all 4 days of the workshop Workshop participants must by 18 years of age or over $50 Adult, $40 concession fee payable 1 week prior Workshops are held in the Lennox Theatre at Riverside Theatres, unless otherwise stated. Sand mandala materials provided. Other materials at the artist’s own expense. Selection criteria Experience as a practising contemporary artist of merit Willingness to explore new techniques/methods Interest in exploring sacred art forms including links to current arts practice Page 2 of 4 APPLICATION FORM Name: Date of Birth: Residential Address: Postal address (if different from above): Email: Daytime phone no: Mobile: Do you live, work or study in the Parramatta region?: Describe your artistic practice, outlining key concepts (200 words or less) Declaration: I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge the information provided is correct. Page 3 of 4 Describe links you would like to explore between your artistic practice, mindfulness and sacred art (200 words or less) I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge the above information is correct. Signature: (if submitting by email, please type you name and the word “ACCEPT” as your signature) Date: Please return the Expression of Interest Form to: Sophia Kouyoumdjian, Coordinator, Parramatta Artists Studios In Person: By Post: Email: Mon – Fri 12-4pm PO Box 32, Parramatta, NSW 2124 skouyoumdjian@parracity.nsw.gov.au For more information, please contact Sophia Kouyoumdjian on 9687 6090 or skouyoumdjian@parracity.nsw.gov.au Page 4 of 4