domestic violence

wererecruicedfrom withinthe writing group and me community, with sisters Brienna and Brivinitheyoungestperformers,and81-yearoldPercy Mason the oldest.

BY DIPANJALI RAO

edarkscreenlightens andreveals thesombreface of a very young girl with big,soulfuleyes.She slowly looks downwards.The camera moves to focus onthe string of pearls around her neck and the frilly edges of thetop thatgently hangs over her shoulder.Youhear a dull,aching, rustling, likelonelywavescrashing onadistantshore. Youbearhervoice,slow,st.ark and deliberate, as she looksstraightac thecameraand says:

Peoplewillte!IJOtt,'Youshouldt14/11st' Tht!)'71m11tte1·011tlo11d'P11ItheJa111i!JJint' BecattseIlla/!)'IJ)illjudgea11dmany11Jillbla111e

Tbeonei11threewithasto-rylike111e.

Ttsonei11three.

Ttsoneinthree.

Twelve-year-oldErienna Fernando performsthesemovinglines from a poem about domestic violence titled 'Onein Three'.

Wrictenby22womenfromJv[elbourne's northern suburbs,'OneinThree' isa produceof PoehyComers,a print and digital art projectdesigned anddevelopedby social activist NayanaBhandari and fil.11.1maker Emma Macey-Storch.Passionate about thepower of art to bring aboutsocial change,they broughtwomen fromdiverse backgrounds cogetl1er co wricepoetry.The poetry isshowcasedin a multi-lingual book titled Onei11Three,andmepoem was filmed to bea digital art installation.Performers

The choice of performers of varyingages was a deliberate one.

"I wantedco shifttl1estereotypes,"says EmmaMacey-Stord1,founder of Some Kind of Squirrel productions,a not-forprofitfilmmakingcompany, whose work with underprivileged children in theUK won her23 international awards.

"I wanted a 10-year-old girlto tellthestory of a60-yea.r-oldwoman, and a 81-year-old man co tell thestory of a 20-year-oldwoman tochallengeperceptions of meissue," Macey-Storchsays."When you hear an 81-year-old mansaying'Onmy weddingday', or 'The pressure of patriarchy', the resuks aremind-blowing."

The chosenart form coo, was deliberate.

Nayana Bhandari, fom1der of theOorja Foundation, started writing poetry at theage of 16.

"Khoohladilllardrmi, JJJohtoh.fhansi1Palinmi thi," shesaysjoyously when asked what inspired her,quoting the iconicpoem by Subhadra Kuma.riChauhan.

After performingat herfirstspokenword eventin1vl"elbourne, she feltempowered and realised thatpoetrycould bea powerfultool incommmlityengagementand preventing violence.Sheapproached Emma andPoetry Corners wasborn.

Fundedbythe Victorian Government's Community CrimePrevention Program in association witl1 theNorthernCommunity LegalCentreand PrimeScar,Poetry

Cornersbrought women from Indian, Pakisr.ani,SriLankan,Somali,Anglo and otherbackgrounds together forthreedays of poetry workshops.Theprocess was transformational for some.

"Meredekhneat1rsochneka11azariya/Jada/ gqyahai,"(It haschanged my viewsand perspectiveon domesticviolence)says Gurpreet Kaur.

Othersenjoyedtl1e cross-culmral engagement.DebbieAnscombe fom1d the process of engaging with women from different cuJmres,someof whom she didn'tevensba.reacommon language._,.,ich, "fantastic".

FauziaElalli, another writer and performer edloed similar sentiments. ''Oh God," she exclaimsexuberantly,describingwhen she heard a woman with a Somali background talkingabout her experiencesatPoetry Corners. "Shehasseendifferentplaces, smellsdifferent Rowers and eats different food, buther eirperiencesa.rethe san1eas mine. It mademe feelunitedinour diversity. It isempowering."

Forthefilming,theperformerswere coachedby professionals.

"I havebeen soinspired,moved and touched by thesecourageous women and tl1eirstories,"saidperformer Kattimoni Beames."It'smademerealisehow important it is tl1at webring theseissuesomof the dark."

Spoken wordandperformanceartist Su.khjit Kaur Khalsa wasamazed.

"Getting22womentogernertocreate something so real, authentic andpowerful... that's why I fell in love with thisproject and that'swhy Ibelieve in it."

Emmasharestl1arsense of amazement. "\'v'hat blew meawayishow simplytl1e addition of acreativeactivity sparks just the mostraw, tl1e most personal and intimate typeof reaction,"shesays

NayanahopesthatPoetryComers will createa rippleeffect."Ead1 participantis anambassador. When they seethemselves inthevideo,andseetl1eir work in thebook, tl1ey will beinspiredrocreatechange."

Reading thepoem,that dlangemayhave already begun.

Letschallengewhats111rong

Let'sI/lakeoursistersst/'Ong

Letschrdlenge011rbrothers

Andmakethe11111ndersla11d

If111e1va11ttochangethe,to,y

Thryhavetotakeastand

ForellCIJ'wo111a11andchild

Intheirco1111111miry

Becauseit'soneinthree

It'sonei11three

Andthisepidemicofviolence

Haslomdwithme

OneinThreenmsfi·om9Februa1y-2

April,2017atGeeLee-WikDoleen Gallery,HumeGlobalLeamingCentre, 75-95CentralParkAvenue,Craigi.ebum. 1'1ebookwillbelaunchedon8March, InternationalWomensDay