Claire Bowen Management, July 3 2020:
Western Australian writers of all ages and experience will be inspired by the cosmos to write a monologue for this year’s National Science Week.
Throughout July, writers can engage with research and researchers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) to compose a creative nonfiction monologue. The winning monologues will be performed during National Science Week, which runs in a digital format from 15 to 23 August. There are six categories with cash prizes, and the monologues will also be performed at the popular Astrofest in 2021.
To reflect the diverse and skilled scientific and artistic population of Western Australia, the Monologue Competition is accepting submissions in over 12 languages and a variety of performance styles including Auslan, song, dance, music, poetry and puppetry.
Interested writers can interview one of the participating researchers, or explore the fascinating articles and videos available from ICRAR outlining the results of their work. Writers are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest so the competition organisers can match writers to appropriate researchers for further information.
“The Western Australian Arts industry contains writers, directors and performers that can enthral an audience in multiple languages and performance styles,” says Claire Bowen, co-creator of the competition. “When writers and scientists can communicate discoveries through new collaborations, audiences will be able to enjoy the best of what science and arts can create together.”
ICRAR is part of the team working towards designing and building the SKA, which will be one of the world’s largest science facilities, exploring the entire history and evolution of the Universe, and uncovering advances in fundamental physics. The development of the SKA has made Western Australia a hub for scientific and industry innovation and will be constructed by a global collaboration of 14 countries, as well as utilising cutting edge technology developed by Western Australian industries.
“This competition will allow people to see the truly amazing working that goes on at ICRAR. I regularly speak to the public, from kindergarteners to Grandparents, and I am really looking forward to seeing artists communicating the science I love in interesting new ways” says Kevin Vinsen, a Senior Research Fellow at ICRAR and co-creator of the competition.
The competition is partially funded by the West Australian Coordinating Committee (WACC) for National Science Week, who have had to re-imagine event ideas to align with the digital nature of this year’s festivities. Over 50 applications from Western Australian organisations proposed new ideas for Science Week activities in the state, and the committee was impressed by the creativity and ingenuity of all applicants.
ICRAR and WACC hope the competition attracts the interest of audiences, writers, scientists and performers from all across Western Australia. If you’ve ever been entranced by the Milky Way, other galaxies, black holes, incredibly big numbers (our nearest neighbour star is approximately 40,208,000,000,000 km away), exo-planets (and possibly extraterrestrial life 👽), this is the National Science Week event for you!
Writers can submit their Expression of Interest online.
CONTACTS
Claire Bowen (Media Contact)
Ph: 0468 956 604
E: management@clairebowen.com.au
FUNDING PARTNERS
https://www.inspiringwa.org.au/post/national-science-week-small-grant-recipients-2020
https://www.scienceweek.net.au/resources/logos-graphics/
ICRAR
T: @ICRAR
F: @ICRAR
I: @icrargram
Inspiring WA
W: https://www.inspiringwa.org.au/
T: @wainspiring
F: @inspiringwa
National Science Week
W: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/
T: @Aus_ScienceWeek
F: @nationalscienceweek
I: @nationalscienceweek
About CLAIRE BOWEN
Claire Bowen is a UWA graduate, a playwright and an arts manager. She studied Modern History and English Literature, specialising in the rise of Fascism in popular genre fiction, and made a career as an administrator in the Tertiary Education, Engineering and Arts sectors.
She has co-written two comedy plays for Fringeworld, a Sherlock Holmes adaptation for Melbourne independent theatre company wit incorporated and had a monologue performed in Baggage Productions’ Madwomen Monologues. She is the co-creator of the South West Shorts writing competition, and a founding member of the Stages WA Writing Group, now Edge Performance Writers.
Kevin and Claire first started discussing the intersection of engineering, science and arts in 2001, in between discussing their impressions of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
About KEVIN VINSEN
Kevin’s main research interests are ExaScale computing for data intensive astronomy, developing methods for the automated classification of galaxies and gravitational waves using multi-wavelength data, machine learning algorithms and modelling complex systems.
Kevin considers himself one of the luckiest geeks on the planet. He is paid to do what he loves – astronomy and computing with some of the biggest, baddest, computers on the planet.
He has spoken at events such as:
- Raise the Bar
- TedX
- MALA
- Schools
- As a volunteer at PCH with Starlight
Kevin thinks dementors are pretty damned scary, chocolate can cure all that ails and his Wolfhound is called Remus.
