Sangam Commissions (light) partnership with the City of Greater Dandenong, Drum Theatre and Bunjil Place brings together award-winning South Asian and Australian artists of diverse backgrounds to present 5 new performing art works.

This multi-art form project celebrates the various meanings of "Light" by diverse communities during the time of the Diwali Festival, something that is celebrated across South and South East Asia. Three digital “screen” based and two live performance-based works were commissioned and will be presented at Bunjil Place Sunday 30th October 2022

The three digital screen-based works will also be presented for free on Outdoor Public Screens at Springvale Hub and Harmony Square from 21st October 21st to 15th November 2022.

The 2022 Program includes:

Jyothi -  by flutist Subramanya Sastry, a project capturing light as the divine pure element which can be a symbol of creation, maintenance, and destruction of the material world. Jyothi enlightens us through a path of spiritual awakening or can be 'agni' (fire) within us which provides us the energy to face life in all its glory. 

Kavidaiyum Gaanamum - a live Carnatic music and spoken word presentation by Kanchana Selvaratnam and Narthana Kanagasabai. This production aims to shed light on the deeper philosophical meanings of existing Carnatic literature, reach out tin order to connect with new audiences and touch upon the sensitivities and struggles community artists go through in practicing and propagating their cultural art forms in lands far away from their own

Red, Green And Everything In Between - a short film, written and director by Sol Fernandez, that encompasses storytelling and discovery through the lens of ancestral connection, curiosity and family traditions. With a multi-generational and multi-cultural cast and crew, the film explores non-western family dynamics and discovery of a wider/collective identity. Encouraging conversation about life, culture, tradition and ancestry, the film is a celebration of the lives of our loved ones.

SAVAG - a group of 4 artists, Venkatesh Shankar, Ananya Sundar, Ganesha Ragavan and Shruthi Mangalaganesh, who play the flute, percussion and violin, exploring culture and self through music. As second-generation South Asian/Australian artists, SAVAG will express a blend of both cultures and will be documenting their journey to find empowerment through the expression of dual identities, a work on screen.

The Light Within -  by Sudar (Ahalika Wickneswaran), a live performance that questions the authenticity of our actions in deciding the path that one must take to bring light within one’s soul and hence be a lantern to others. This production will explore the concept of light from two viewpoints: inner self, and society as a whole.