The Western is here to bring you more coverage of Blacktown Arts’ Magnify program! From June 1-3, locals and guests alike had the opportunity to celebrate art, food, and connection across Blacktown City. Exciting highlights include the Opening Smoke Ceremony with Uncle Wes, the spectacular Blacktown Shorts Film Festival at Blacktown Skyline Drive-in, and a table read of HANAP at Fiesta Avenue.

This is Part 2 of our exclusive coverage of Magnify, a weekend-long multi-disciplinary arts program. Listen back to Part 1 of our special presentation to hear exclusive interviews with artists from Magnify!

BLACKTOWN ARTS

Instagram: @blacktownarts

Website: blacktownarts.com.au

Hosted and edited by Nicole Cadelina (@ni.muy)

Intro music by Amorist (@_deathtonostalgia_)

Additional music by Magic Solo via artlist.io

Recorded on unceded Darug land.

The Western is excited to be teaming up with Blacktown Arts again to cover their exciting Magnify program this year! Listen to Part 1 of our special presentation, where we feature two exclusive interviews with artists who presented at Magnify 2023.

We caught up with artist and comedian Ian “Esky” Escandor, who is joined by emerging filmmaker Reg Azwar to discuss their newest collaboration In Search of the White Deer (3:10). The short doco premiered at Blacktown Shorts Film Festival, a film program founded by local screen creative Vonne Patiag. We got to know Esky and Reg’s interests in film, along with their story behind the humorous and heartfelt film project

We then chatted with Filipinx baddies Rizcel Gagawanan and Mark Mariano, who teamed up together for HANAP, an intimate but laugh-out-loud play about Filipinos in diaspora (30:43). In preparation for their table reading at Fiesta Avenue, we talked about the origins of their theatre project, what it means to represent yourself in writing and performance through collectivity.

Don’t forget to listen to Part 2 to hear some exclusive highlights from Magnify 2023!

GUESTS

Ian “Esky” Escandor: @esky.esk

Reg Azwar: @regxazr

Mark Mariano: @markusmuch

Rizcel Gagawanan: @rizcel.ako

BLACKTOWN ARTS

Instagram: @blacktownarts

Website: blacktownarts.com.au

Recorded on unceded Darug land. First interview recorded at Street University Mount Druitt on May 29 2023. Second interview recorded at Blacktown Arts on June 2 2023.

Hosted and edited by Nicole Cadelina (@ni.muy)

Intro music by Amorist (@_deathtonostalgia_)

Additional music by Magic Solo via artlist.io

Sereen Omran is a Muslim musician, filmmaker, and TikTokker based in Padstow, who directed and wrote her debut short film, Towel Head. A musical comedy-drama set in Southwest Sydney, Sereen’s film reflects on the adversities faced by female Muslim artists, while also promoting messages of empowerment through self-love for one’s identity. We chat with the multi-talented artist about her early experiences with cinema, her influences for Towel Head, and the importance of good self-representation in Western media. A must-listen for Western Sydney filmmakers!

Towel Head is available to watch for FREE on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFEYbloCCeI

SEREEN OMRAN

Instagram/TikTok: @sereensounds

Hosted and edited by Nicole Cadelina (@ni.muy)

Music by Amorist (@_deathtonostalgia_)

Original recording date: June 24, 2021

The Snacc Pacc is a weekly radio program founded by two island girls hailing from Mount Druitt, Rebecca “Bek” Manibog and Adele “Del” Luamanuvae. The Filipina-Samoan duo founded The Snacc Pacc to share the best in the west on the radio and have featured big names from the area - from Serwah Attafuah and Breakfast Road, to Gemma Navarrete and former The Western editor Mark Mariano! We chat to Del and Bek about life before The Snacc Pacc, the stereotypes surrounding Western Sydney, and what it means to represent cultural identity in media.

Be sure to catch The Snacc Pacc with Del and Bek on FBI Radio 94.5 every Saturday to hear the best from the west!

THE SNACC PACC (DEL & BEK)

IG: @thesnaccpaccfbi

Rebecca: @badiiebek

Adele: @smellydel

This episode was recorded at Commonhouse (fka opn.studio), a creative space located in Glendenning. The venue offers a variety of studio spaces and resources for creatives working across music, video, podcast, and photography (with a bit of cypher on the side!). To make a booking online, visit https://commonhouse.studio/, and follow them on Instagram (@commonhouse.studio)

Hosted and edited by Nicole Cadelina (@ni.muy)

Intro/outro music by Amorist (@_deathtonostalgia_)

Original recording date: June 15, 2021

Rizcel and Mark wrap the podcast and the first stage of their development with the 'Hanap' excerpts they prepared for the Magnify 2022 showcase. 'The Haircut Arcade' and 'Woodcroft Woes' from 'Hanap' were written by Rizcel Gagawanan and Mark Mariano with dramaturgy by Winnie Dunn and Claudia Chidiac.

Blacktown Arts is part of Blacktown City Council and is supported by Create NSW. The Magnify Creative Development project has been generously supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.

Rizcel and Mark uncover their challenges, successes, and overall expectations for this project. Together they take a deep dive into Filipino representation in Australian media, and bond over their mutual love for Hi-5's Kathleen De Leon.

Blacktown Arts is part of Blacktown City Council and is supported by Create NSW. The Magnify Creative Development project has been generously supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.

Mark and Rizcel open up about the developmental stages of their project and unwrap the cultural commonalities between them. They share some behind-the-scenes clips, a few lukewarm concepts and themes, and the creative homework tasks they set for themselves.

Blacktown Arts is part of Blacktown City Council and is supported by Create NSW. The Magnify Creative Development project has been generously supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.

The Western's Laura chats to Mark and Rizcel about their artistic backgrounds and creative processes. The two introduce the Magnify 2022 festival, reveal how they came about the program, and talk about meeting through Sweatshop.

Blacktown Arts is part of Blacktown City Council and is supported by Create NSW. The Magnify Creative Development project has been generously supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.

The Western is excited to announce our newest member on the team - say hello to Anie Kandya! She will be taking over Mark’s role as editor to give out a helping hand to our writing team. In this special episode, we break the ice with Anie to learn more about her roots in Western Sydney, what influences her as a creative, and what she looks forward to the most on the platform. We also chat about the frustrations of uni life, our shared love for TikTok, and why Westpoint beats Westfield any day!

ANIE KANDYA

IG: @misandrizt

Hosted and edited by Nicole Cadelina (@ni.muy)

Music by Clarissa Mei (@clarissamei)

Podcast created by Laura Ranola (@lauranola)

Annie Shin is an award-winning Korean-born ceramic artist based in Doonside, whose works have been exhibited across the West and beyond. Currently studying a Bachelor of Advance Science, Annie incorporates concepts from her Psychology Honours into her art practice, resulting in a series of sculptures that articulate queries of internalisations and angst. Annie shares to The Western her experiences as a ceramicist, the differences between arts communities across Sydney, and what the “local experience” really means to her.

ANNIE SHIN

IG: @annies

Website: https://annieareumshin.tumblr.com

(NOTE: The Western Podcast will be taking a break! We will spend this time contacting guests and recording more episodes for the second half of this season, and will return in early August.)

Hosted and edited by Nicole Cadelina (@ni.muy)

Music by Clarissa Mei (@clarissamei)

Podcast created by Laura Ranola (@lauranola)