Building a Digital Village

I'm throwing a party on November 9th, to debut a contemporary artists residency program and digital media lab in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. The event, an intimate fundraiser for his recently formed Vanuatu Pacifica Foundation, will introduce plans for my Tanna Center for The Arts .

The center’s planned digital arts media lab proffers a remote outpost to fortify potent creativity in global Contemporary Art and a vital local economy on the island of Tanna through artist residencies, closed-loop operations and youth outreach.

Moby will headline the party and fundraiser. “It helps when artists model a deeper view of how to operate with respect to land and animals. With Paul’s comprehensive plan for responsible water use, native-designed farming and renewable energy at the retreat, I’m confident he can build a harmonious place where artists can create great work,” he said of the proposed arts center.

The retreat is amid lowland forest owned by the Naihné people on Tanna – a southern province island amid Vanuatu’s 83-island archipelago. It will double as an off the grid community center, providing both 8-week artist residencies and youth training in island-restorative trades that work in harmony with regional eco-systems and the indigenous knowledge of three neighboring tribal villages.

Over 100 unique languages are spoken across Vanuatu, more than eight on Tanna. But urban drift, owing to stories of modernized cities combined with lack of economic opportunity, is a mounting threat to their survival as youth depart traditional or “kastom” village life. I was invited by tribal leadership among the isolated Naihné village to initiate Tanna Center for The Arts and engage village youth in digital arts and island-restorative trades.   

The hope is that this approach will provide the skills that the younger generation need to live in the village environment and ensure cultural continuity along the way.

The Nov. 9th fundraiser takes place in the penthouse of The Cooper Square Hotel and features live performances from myself, Moby, Bec Stupak of The Joshua Light and still more special guests.

You can get tickets here.