screen events

Searching for Virtual Rosebud

FRAMED #03 presented highlights from Our Media Conference held in Sydney, 9 – 13 April.

Our Media Australia is an international network and forum founded in 2001 by a group of engaged academics interested in advancing the democratic potential of community, alternative and 'citizens' media.

The theme of this year's conference - 'Roles and Challenges for Community, Alternative and Citizens' Media in the 21st Century'. Alternative media in Australia has a strong and long tradition of citizen engagement, experimental arts and community participation, providing different outlets for news, artistic practices, new media arts and cultural engagement.

FRAMED #03 examines Australia's vast array of alternative and tactical media groups working on innovative online networks and new media environments. The community and alternative media sector in Australia is made up of groups from a diverse spectrum of society, including: community associations and advocacy groups; culturally and linguistically diverse communities; Indigenous broadcasters; Gay and Lesbian groups; religious groups; independent producers; social activists, artists, educational institutions; seniors; and youth-run organisations. So get down to Digital Harbour and get FRAMED!

FRAMED #03: CITIZEN MEDIA_SEARCHING FOR VIRTUAL ROSEBUD
Date: Thursday April 26
Time: 12:30 - 1:30pm
Venue: Digital Harbour Theatrette
Ground Floor, The Innovation Building
1010 Latrobe St, Docklands

About the speakers

Ellie Rennie is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology and a Research Fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation. She is author of 'Community Media: A Global Introduction' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006). Ellie has also worked with the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia as a policy consultant in the area of digital television, assisting CTV stations to move beyond the 'trial' phase and into a permanent licensing framework. Her current research involves Australia's emerging youth community radio sector and the social, educational and economic benefits of media participation. Ellie Rennie is involved in a number of community and academic associations, including the Community Communication section of the International Association of Media and Communication Research, Open Spectrum Australia, OURMedia/Nuestros Medios and the Wesley College Institute for Innovation in Education.

Andrew Lowenthal is a media/tech activist based in Melbourne. Andrew has been involved in participatory and social justice media initiatives since 1998 and has been an editor, media maker and organiser within the Indymedia network since 2001. Since early 2006 half of his time is spent as the editor for NGO-in-a-box, a series of free and open source software toolkits, for the Tactical Technology Collective. Andrew is also co-founder and project manager of EngageMedia, a video sharing website focused on social and environmental issues in Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific. EngageMedia is also a free software project producing online video distribution tools. In 2006 EngageMedia collaborated with Candida TV to coordinate Transmission a global meeting of social justice online video distribution projects. Andrew occasionally still gets to make videos, the last one about the Italian micro TV movement screened at the National Gallery of Indonesia and the Centre for Contemporary Art in Glasgow.

Presentation: Our Media and the New Networks of Participatory Communications (PDF 217kb)

Andrew Garton is a writer, producer and composer. He is a Director of APC.au and sits on the Executive Board of the Association for Progressive Communications. He is currently Program Director of Open Channel, Editor of ICT Rights Watch Australia and Manager of the artist run, not-for-profit new music collective, Secession Records.