What compelled you to undertake this creative project?
I made this music video to enable us as Australians to reconnect with the heart of the offshore detention issue, which is compassion, and to add to the growing push to find a humane resolution to the worldwide refugee crisis. It was important that we as musicians used our talents to speak for us. Together.
Why did so many musicians donate their time and talents?
There was a lot of concern among my professional colleagues over the issue of offshore detention – and we all know the arts can express things in a different way than speeches. The Solidarity Choir (Erskineville), The Acca-Pony Choir (Marrickville), the St James Choir (Sydney city) and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir (Glebe) were among the choirs that joined in this protest in the hope of encouraging Australia to do better as a nation.
What’s the project in a nutshell?
I drew together Sydney musicians and choirs horrified by the atrocities perpetuated against refugees at Australia’s offshore processing centres. We recorded these musicians singing and playing an arrangement of Speed Bonnie Boat, the Scottish folksong. In the song, Bonnie Prince Charlie must travel through the wild seas of political and physical turmoil to a place of safety. Will this little boy make it? The additional Latin Mass text is about unity – I chose it because of the reference to one baptism (through water) and the idea of one humanity.
What about the music and filmmaking process?
I collaborated with good friend and award-winning filmmaker Denning Isles. We interspersed footage of the musicians with other images, mostly of protestors from the Town Hall rally on August 27, representing a wide range of community groups.
The images and music work powerfully together – how have people responded?
It has been fantastic to see the response from the wider community. Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers has become somewhat bogged down in political fear. I doubt that anyone is really happy with how things are. Now is the time to be more creative and generous with our solutions.
What makes you confident that music and video can engender compassion where words and protest marches may have failed?
I don’t believe that words and protest marches have failed, but rather that Australia is at a moral crossroads at this point in history and that many voices are needed to help guide us towards a more heroic response.
What might an honourable response from Australia to the worldwide refugee crisis look like?
I remember what it felt like to participate in the gun buy-back scheme some years back. Australia took significant steps to improve our society and to solve current and potential problems. There was a general sense of achievement and pride after the implementation of that policy, and I believe we can do it again by rising to the challenge of looking after displaced people, and that Australia will be better for it.
