Bowerbirds of the blue mountains

The travel film scholarship has a dual meaning for me. Firstly, it would invigorate my own art practice and also allow me to provide resources to Colombian children. Being a visual arts teacher in Australia, I would make a compelling documentary founded in the stories and customs of the place.

In San Cipriano, Colombia I witnessed a young boy painting river rocks with water colours that I made available in the village the previous day.
In 2008 I participated in a dance and drum workshop in West Africa where I got to experience the unique artistic dance culture of Guinea. I learnt so much from the native people and their zest for life.
My sense of adventure and ability to heed advice would allow me to embrace this educational opportunity with Brian Rapsey. I am physically fit for hiking and enduring mountainous terrain. I speak intermediate Spanish and I have the ability to adapt to my surroundings and used to working long hours, early mornings and late nights.
I already have an understanding of the Colombian and African cultures which would be a great benefit to relate on many levels to the people on the pacific coast with them being of African decent. The scholarship would be a fantastic opportunity to return and document the unique culture of that region with the moving image.
I believe in the power of story telling to educate the people and keep the traditions and stories alive, it would be an incredibly rewarding journey to undertake as a film maker.