Apr 22, 2014
Finding Bennelong website shortlisted in the Local Government Arts and Culture Awards
The Finding Bennelong website was created and developed by Art of Multimedia at the request of the City of Ryde Council. The website has been named a finalist in the Promoting Indigenous Recognition category of the Local Government Arts and Culture Awards, with the winner to be announced at this year’s Vivid Ideas Festival on 27 May.
The awards recognise arts and cultural initiatives of NSW councils, and are presented by Local Government NSW in Partnership with Destination NSW.
The Finding Bennelong website was launched in December 2013 and uses a series of 15 videos which chronologically and thematically interpret the story of the much-debated Woollarawarre Bennelong, one of the first Indigenous Australians to reside among British settlers.
Finding Bennelong is based upon significant research and draws upon historic artwork, references and links to primary sources; providing the website visitor with information to draw their own conclusions about this prominent and much-debated man.
Beata Kade, Managing Director of Art of Multimedia, said that developing heritage interpretation projects is always complex, but extremely satisfying.
“The Finding Bennelong website reflects the cultural identity of the Indigenous community and it was a fascinating project to have been a part of with our team of expert collaborators.
We were extremely proud to launch the site, and to have it named a finalist in these awards is a great achievement in itself. It’s rewarding to see that our in-depth development processes of consultation, examining extensive research, engaging stakeholders and the community, and then interpreting our findings to present a creative educational resource all contributors are proud of has been valued so highly,” Beata said.
“The website is accessible and engaging for people of all ages. Feedback from our stakeholders and the community has been overwhelmingly positive and I think we’ve created an intriguing resource which prompts the visitor to go on a journey and discover the life of Woollarawarre Bennelong.”
As part of the judging process Finding Bennelong will be presented at the two day Local Government Arts and Culture Summit at the Museum of Contemporary Art on May 26 and 27.
“It’s exciting to have Finding Bennelong recognised at such a creative forum,” Beata said. “The Vivid Ideas Festival has become renowned for its innovation and bold approach – everyone involved in the project is thrilled to be a part of ‘Vivid.“
