THE CREATIVE TEAM (in alphabetical order)
ARISA YURA
Arisa is Japanese Australian actor, voice artist, writer and taiko drummer working extensively across theatre, film, radio and television. Along with her son Renon Yura Yuen, Arisa will be creating artworks for five children who died during internment. https://www.arisayura.com/
BEN SHIOSAKI
Ben is a descendant of a Nikkei family who were interned, including a great aunt who died during internment. His great grandfather served as the President of the Japan Club in Broome before the war. His family settled near Geraldton after the war. Ben will be working with Jo Anne Shiosaki to create artworks for the six Nikkei internees who lived in the Pilbara/Mid-West regions and in Fremantle before the war and died during internment.
CHIE MURAOKA
Chie is a designer and web developer who mostly collaborates on not-for-profit, art and educational projects. Chie will be designing and developing the website and catalogue. https://www.tramindo.com.au/
ELYSHA REI
Elysha is a Japanese-Australian artist who explores narratives of cultural identity, site-specific history and environmental elements through paper cutting and public art. Elysha will create artworks and facilitate other artists to create artworks for twenty nine other Nikkei internees who were living in the Queensland mainland before the war, and died during internment. Elysha serves as Chair for Nikkei Australia. http://www.elysharei.com/
JO ANNE SHIOSAKI
Jo is a community leader in Broome, Western Australia, who is a descendant of a Nikkei family who were interned, including a great aunt who died during internment. Jo’s great grandfather served as the President of the Japan Club in Broome before the war. Jo will create an artwork for her great aunt and facilitate other artists to create artworks for the nineteen other Nikkei internees who were living in Western Australia before the war and died during internment.
MARI SUZUKI
Mari serves as the Secretary of Nikkei Australia. She is a former dancer of classical Japanese, modern and folk dance traditions. Mari’s maternal grandfather was the President of the Japanese Club of Thursday Island before the war, and served as a compound leader in Tatura Internment Camp. Mari’s parents met in the internment camp. Mari will create an artwork for her great uncle who died in internment and facilitate other artists to create artworks for the ten other Nikkei internees who were living on Thursday Island before the war and died during internment.
MASAKI BABA
Masaki is an actor, singer-song writer, author and radio personality based in Taipei. After holding executive positions at The Japan foundation in Beijing and in Sydney and at the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Masaki now works as an actor across stage, film and television and appear weekly on Radio Taiwan Int’l. He also writes film scores and performs as part of a trio, The Battery Band and as a solo musician. Masaki will be creating art for the eleven Taiwanese civilians who died during internment. https://www.instagram.com/babamasaki.official
MASAKO FUKUI
Masako is an independent writer and audio producer, who serves as the Treasurer for Nikkei Australia. Masako will be creating an audio work of all the 194 names being called out for the website and exhibition. https://masakofukui.com/
MAYU KANAMORI
Mayu is an independent artist, who is the initiator of When You Call My Name and will facilitate and coordinate the overall aspects of this project https://mayu.com.au/
MICHAEL JALARU TORRES
Michael is a fine art photographer and poet who lives in Broome, Western Australia. He is a Djugun-Yawuru man with tribal connections to the Gooniyandi/Jabbir Jabbir/Ngarluma peoples. Michael will work with Jo Anne Shiosaki to create artworks with Broome’s Japanese / Nikkei community for the fourteen Nikkei internees who were living in Broome before the war and died during internment. https://jalaru.com/
RENON YURA YUEN
Renon is the youngest creative on this project. He will be working with his mother Arisa Yura to create artworks for the five children who died in internment.
SOPHIE CONSTABLE
Sophie is an artist, scientist, researcher and educator. She is the creator of When You Call My Name ‘s cover image, and will be working with Mayu Kanamori to facilitate and coordinate the overall aspects of this project. https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/sophie-constable
TIMOTHY KAZUO STEAINS
Tim is a researcher in studies of race, multiculturalism, Indigenous policy and masculinity. He has Indigenous Okinawan and white Australian heritage. Tim will work with Yasue Taggart to facilitate artworks for internees who were born and raised in Okinawa.
YASUE TAGGART
Yasuko is an Okinawan dancer and founder of the Okinawan dance group Eisa Champ Roo Drum Dance group. She also organises the Sydney Okinawan Club or the Okinawa Kenjin-kai. Together with her cousin Timothy Kazuo Steains, Yasue will facilitate artworks for internees who were born and raised in Okinawa. https://sydneyokinawanclub.wixsite.com/sydney-okinawan-club
YURIKO NAGATA
Yuriko is a researcher and author of Enemy Aliens: Japanese Interment in Australia during World War II. Her research interests include Japanese diaspora in Australia and Pacific, and culture in Japanese language studies. Yuriko will be contributing her expert knowledge to advise and provide materials from her archives on the internee experiences, including one person of Japanese origin and another from Taiwan, who died at sea on their way to Australia and who was recently discovered at the National Archives in Adelaide. https://languages-cultures.uq.edu.au/profile/1220/yuriko-nagata