Dancing with your Childhood by Aryo Hall and Shirin Shakhesi
Animation and original music
2022
Digital commission for Duniya Behter
Animation by Shirin Shakhesi, original composition by Aryo Hall.
Artist Statement
"Stemming from age old Javanese poetry, this heartfelt musical piece creates the backdrop to a Persian contemporary animation. The slow days of lockdown allowed us to reflect on our respective childhoods, reflections usually drowned out by the fast pace of the modern day. This work tells a story of how our cultures and sense of belonging has given us strength to continue our art during the pandemic. We are thankful to the Duniya Behter program to allow us the chance to collaborate on this project, and to have given us time to reflect and create something truly meaningful." — Aryo Hall and Shirin Shakhesi
About the artists:
Aryo Hall
Aryo is an Indonesian-Australian composer, trombone player and band manager based in Castlemaine. He specialises in Jazz, Latin, Balkan Gypsy and Gamelan music. He has performed extensively around Australia and internationally. Born in Yogyakarta, he began playing music from a young age. He studied classical euphonium and jazz trombone, drawn to the thriving tradition of Gypsy Brass. His ambition is to lead a gamelan-fusion project that would embrace the traditional music of central Java and the processes of contemporary improvisation.
Shirin Shakhesi
Shirin is an Iranian-Australian animator and illustrator. She works across a variety of media including digital painting and video animation. Her body of work conveys themes of collective memories and visually encapsulates a vast range of cultural influences, Persian literature, issues in modern cultures, and philosophical allusions. She reaches her visual goals by combining different art forms and seeking new means of expression through those established mediums. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art in animation.
Related Projects:
Dancing with your Childhood by Aryo Hall and Shirin Shakhesi was commissioned through MAV’s program Duniya Behter. Supported by the Victorian Government through the Priority Response to Multicultural Communities during Coronavirus (PRMC) program. Duniya Behter is delivered in partnership with Point of Difference Studios.
