The lens of cultural understanding

Seeing is believing. Especially when powerful art transcends social boundaries and barriers.

To Dr Erminia Colucci, photography is the lens through which the world expresses the inexpressible, while facilitating new realms of knowledge exchange, cultural understanding and community integration.

“Art captures and communicates the unseen, while stripping away fears and overcoming negativity and inhibitions. Particularly in strange or unfamiliar territory, art has the immense power to connect people on the same social fabric while enabling a multitude of opportunities for learning about others and the self,” Dr Colucci says.

“I have always been thoroughly fascinated by new cultures and the collective experience of individuals trying to forge a sense of identity and belonging, while integrating in new communities. Australia’s multicultural landscape provides a solid foundation for exploring these themes, especially through community projects and participatory action research.”

At the University of Melbourne, where Dr Colucci is a fellow of the Centre for International Mental Health (CIMH) at the School of Population Health, she found the inspiration to undertake a photography project with international students who were new to life in Melbourne. The exhibition, ‘Windows on a New World: Australia from the Eyes of International Students’ consisted of students getting together in World-Café style discussions, a unique method for setting a specific context and model for group dialogue facilitated by World-Café group practitioners Dan Stojanovich and Keith De La Rue.

Students gathered to exchange their thoughts and impressions on life in Australia, followed by lessons in basic photography skills to translate their experiences artistically. The best photographs selected by the students were given captions and dissected thematically in group discussions, with the most powerful ones being chosen for the online gallery and screening organised at the University of Melbourne.

“Students were invited to participate through the International Student Office and Student Union Clubs, with the initial group consisting of 20 to 25 participants. The World-Café discussions proved to be a positive experience for the students, who were able to share their impressions on strange and new environments in a non-threatening way. While there was some shyness initially, the overall response was rich and engaging, with most students overstaying the time allocated for the activities.”

Dr Colucci’s background in studying and researching cultural mental health, coupled with her own passion for art, film and photography has allowed her to lend a spiritual and therapeutic leaning towards her creative endeavours.

“I think the collective experience of group interactions, enhanced by artistic expression enables students to overcome the challenges associated with life in new cities. This project has equipped international students with a voice for the unspoken challenges of community integration, while also providing a support system and facilitating educational opportunities in cultural awareness,” she says.

Her current project tackles similar themes through a series of short documentaries and photographs, currently on display at the Immigration Museum in Melbourne till May 2012. Entitled ‘Open for (more than) Business’, the exhibition explores migrant life in Melbourne, by featuring photographs and stories from businesses run by overseas migrants and refugees, reflecting upon their role in community life here.

“Being a migrant myself, I found that I could relate well to the experience of settling in a foreign community and culture. The film is a whole new level in creativity for me, but like the student photography project, aims to bridge people and cultures through art and social change.”

Together with another fellow at CIMH Dr Manjula O’Connor, Dr Colucci has also explored theatre as a medium for understanding domestic violence among Indian migrant women living in Melbourne.

The results of this participatory action research project will be featured in a science publication currently under preparation, in addition to community theatre plays hosted in various parts of the city including the University of Melbourne.

To view photos from “Windows on a New World: Australia from the Eyes of International Students” please visit

http://throughothereyes.wordpress.com/.