Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Monday 27 February
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Gregory Rabassa, revered translator of Gabriel García Márquez, wrote that ‘every act of communication is an act of translation.’ Even when speaking the same tongue, we so often get our wires crossed. It’s not just words but gestures, tone, cultural context and, of course, silence that convey meaning – intentionally or otherwise. Translation between languages is at once fraught (Umberto Eco called it ‘the art of failure’) and fundamental for cultural understanding and, probably, human survival.
We’re bringing together some brilliant translators for a discussion that focuses on translation in and beyond the arts. Our panellists including Nobuko Aiso and Kylie Bracknell, will discuss the mysterious processes – as well as the perceived and inevitable barriers – of their work. Who gets translated and why? What are some specific challenges of translation in the arts? How does a translator’s own experience (of life and language) infuse their work?
At this Asia TOPA event at the Wheeler Centre, hosted by Stephen Armstrong, we’ll discuss the possibilities, politics, future and mystery of translation.
Presented by the Wheeler Centre for Asia TOPA. Asia TOPA is a joint initiative of the Sidney Myer Fund and Arts Centre Melbourne and is supported by the Australian and Victorian Governments.
Featuring
Nobuko Aiso
Nobuko Aiso is a translator, interpretator, writer, project manager and international correspondent. In 2015, she co-founded Art Translators Collective, an independent organisation that explores the value and possibilities of translation in the field of art.
Born in Japan, Aiso spent her formative years in the US and the UK. After receiving a BA from Keio University, she attended the Department of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Kylie Bracknell
Kylie Bracknell (formerly Kylie Farmer) [Kaarljilba Kaardn] is an Aboriginal Australian actor, writer, TV presenter and theatre director from the south west of Western Australia – the Nyungar nation.
As an actor, Kylie has appeared in television programs such as The Gods Of Wheat Street and Redfern Now, films including Ace Of Spades, Stone Bros and SA Black Thing and theatre productions The Sapphires, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The White Divers Of Broome, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo And Juliet, One Day In ‘67, King Hit and Aliwa. She hosts the children’s television program Waabiny Time and is a past presenter of the Marngrook Footy Show.
Kylie directed Windmill Baby as associate artist at Belvoir Street Theatre and served as assistant director on short film and theatre productions. She was also co-artistic director for the large scale Welcome To Country event as a part of the 2006 Perth International Arts Festival. Kylie co-wrote the short film Main Actors and has translated selected Shakespearean sonnets into the Nyungar language for a performance at Shakespeare’s Globe in London as part of their ‘Globe to Globe’ festival (2012).
Kylie has coordinated and managed a variety of theatre, film and television, and radio industry programs. She was senior workshop leader for Yirra Yaakin's ‘Sonnets in Noongar’ schools program, script and acting coach for Ilbijerri Theatre Company, programme manager of the Media and Screen Industry Indigenous Employment Program for Screen Australia, and manager of the Indigenous department at AFTRS.
Stephen Armstrong
Stephen Armstrong is a creative producer and programmer specialising in new work commissions and interdisciplinary and inter-cultural collaborations. He is currently Creative Director of the inaugural Asia TOPA: Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts.
Stephen graduated in English Literature and History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Melbourne, and completed the Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
He has worked as an Artistic Associate or Executive Producer for many of Australia’s leading performing arts companies including: Malthouse Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, Chamber Made Opera and Handspan Theatre. Stephen is currently a board director of Next Wave Festival. Previous directorships include Chunky Move and NIDA. He has been a councillor of the Australia Council for the Arts and chaired both the New Media Arts Fund and the Theatre Board.
Stephen has been the grateful recipient of the Myer Group Arts Award, the George Fairfax Fellowship, the 2005 Green Room Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre and was awarded the 2008 Kenneth Myer Medallion for Outstanding Achievement in the Performing Arts.
Isabelle Li
Isabelle Li grew up in China, has worked in Singapore and migrated to Australia in 1999. Her short stories have appeared in various literary journals and anthologies, including The Best Australian Stories and Southerly.
Her story ‘Go Troppo’ was commended in the Ethel Webb Bundell Literary Awards 2014. Isabelle’s script Mooncake and Crab was made into a short film funded by Screen NSW and premiered at the 60th Melbourne International Film Festival.
Isabelle received her Master of Arts and Master of Creative Arts from University of Technology Sydney, and is currently studying her Doctor of Creative Arts at Western Sydney University while working on a novel.