Tribe: Incandescent Our procession will start with the group covered

Tribe: Incandescent
Our procession will start with the group covered in an orange and red fabric. As we start walking, we
will slowly remove the fabric to reveal the group all clothed in black. One individual will be pushing a
cart with a tree on it. A person dressed in green, the caretaker, will emerge from the tree and begin to
place green leaves and flowers onto the tree as it begins to regenerate. Bird calls will begin to be
heard. As we walk, individuals will slowly remove the hoods of the cloaks. Each will reveal the green
underside to the hood of the cloak, and a bird mask. The caretaker will continue to place green objects
on the tree. When all hoods are off, each person will remove their cloaks, revealing their bird inspired
costumes. The cloaks will be placed around the trunk of the now green tree. The birds will begin to
interact with and pester the crowd. At the finishing point, all cloaks will be laid out flat showing the green
underside, the healed city.
Every year, Australia experiences the wrath of mother nature in the form of bush fires, floods and
cyclones. Some ravage the wilderness, while others wreak havoc on Australian cities and towns. In
2003, bushfire tore through Canberra, destroying forests and houses. Eight lives were lost. The land
and city were broken. The birds went away. Following the fires, the people living in the worst hit areas
banded together, sharing their strength, forming modern tribes. Families met neighbours previously
unknown them. In the years that followed, the city and the bushland surrounding it slowly healed. As
the land and city regenerated, the birds that are so much a part of childhood memories of Canberra
returned. They re-inhabited the city, giving it colour and noise and life. The scars of the fire remain, but
the city is healed and the birds have returned.
While bushfires are quintessentially Australian, occurring yearly across the nation, they are not uniquely
Australian. The devastation of fire causes global damage each year, with forest fires experienced in
North America, South America, Africa and Europe. In all these places, the land and communities need
to heal. As with all natural disasters, devastating fires cause people to band together, unconsciously
forming tribes to heal weak points.
Participants:
Giorgia Santacaterina, Bryanna Price and Helen Wojtas are all third year costume students from the
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. All three have lived around the world, in Italy,
Singapore, England and Australia, and have settled in Perth, Australia. Drawing from cosplay and
academic backgrounds, all three are currently training as costumiers hoping to work in film, period wear
and dance respectively. All three have been sewing since primary school, and have recently started
designing to enhance and support their skill sets. The three came together for this project through their
shared love of the beauty and colour of Australian bird life. Through the design process, they were
inspired by their experiences of the Australian landscape and the interactions with birds. Helen
personally experienced a severe bushfire when she was eighteen, and this has heavily influenced her
relationship with the Australian land and healing cities.
Incandescent Flight Giorgia Santacaterina, Bryanna Price, Helen Wojtas WAAPA 2015