Shows
With at least two members of the band having a background in theatre, and all having a passion for visual, as well as musical interpretation, Silkweed have developed a niche in multimedia presentations. The first of such performances with the current lineup was at the 2002 Cygnet Folk Festival with "From the Diaspora to a Place in the Heart" A plea for understanding of the refugee experience.
Silkweed is known and loved for historically themed, hauntingly insightful performances.
Using original compositions, rare archival images, poetry and narrative, the ensemble takes its audiences back to important and fascinating events in Tasmania’s past.
FIRE recalls the catastrophic fires of 1967, moving smoothly and soulfully through to the present day and the impact of climate change.
The music encompasses violin, cello, keyboard, flute, banjo, accordion and voice. It is lovingly shaped into electronic soundscapes, soaring improvisations and gentle acoustic songs to tell a deeply intimate tale of loss in a world drained of colour.
An immersive, dramatic and moving narrative brought to life through historical records, memory and anecdote.
“I was eleven. I knew everything. But nature lifted me up to heaven, filled me with the shining beauty of the natural world and then let me fall down hard to the ash-filled earth. A thick black line was drawn under childhood.”
Writers: Marjorie Gadd and Erin Collins
Composers: Marjorie Gadd, Erin Collins and Susan McGowan
Performers and Visuals: Anna Spinaze, Steve Gadd, Dave McNamara and Michael Thomsen
Contemporary photographs: Rob Blakers
Background image: Rob Blakers
Subcategories
Maria - Island of Dreams
Maria Island became a favourite "escape" not long after we moved to Tasmania in 1999. A love affair with the physical beauty of the place soon came to embrace a fascination with the extraordinary stories of the Island's history. Diaspora
From the Diaspora to a Place in the Heart" was concieved through a mix of creative curiosity, passion for human rights issues and serendipity. Susan had begun playing with video and image programmes and wanted to test-run them with musical accompaniment. We found that the semi-improvisational nature of our performance (locally referred to as "winging it") suited this genre really well; "Silkweed" was born! Moon Muse
Moon Muses was concieved after Susan and Erin had performed together at several Bellingen (northern NSW) music events. Susan had been to an art exhibition which became the inspiration for a musical interpretation of some of the paintings.With a local community brimming with creative potential in the form of artists, musicians, poets and dancers, a show was quickly concieved and performed... Dance Collaboration
With members coming from an eclectic background including music, theatre and dance, Silkweed have enjoyed composing specific pieces for dancers. Letters from a distant heart
Silkweed have been funded by Tas Regional Arts to write and develop "Letters from a Distant Heart".
This piece is based on letters written by my (Erin's) father during WW11 as a young soldier and Japanese prisoner of war.
It also reflects through dramatic means and letters the plight of asylum seekers similarly separated from loved ones.
Overture from "Letters from a Distant Heart" by Silkweed. This show features a story told through letters, music and slides, of an Australian soldier in Japanese POW camps and an Afghani asylum seeker in an Australian detention Centre.
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