After graduating from Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts last year, Kashmir Postel has spent six months travelling the world, seeing first-hand both inspiring performance art forms and devastating pollution.
Returning to New Zealand, Kashmir decided she wanted to bring about change and raise environmental awareness.
She plans on returning to Bali, one of the stops on her life-changing trip, to lead a group of local performers to spread a message encouraging people to take better care of the island, by performing a traditional Indonesian puppet show in small villages.
“Bali faces a mounting list of environmental challenges. Every year thousands of tonnes of rubbish is burnt or discarded, or dumped in the waters of the tropical island paradise.
“I want people to be aware that burning plastic and the plastic in waterways affects the health of everyone.”
Kashmir believes that through theatre she will be able to will encourage the locals to preserve the island for future generations. “It’s the art of storytelling that helps to plant seeds of awareness.”
The 23-year-old artist also hopes to share her knowledge of theatre with Balinese artists, and is looking forward to developing a greater understanding of traditional Indonesian performance.
“Puppetry, known locally as Wayang Kulit, is close to the heart of Balinese culture, entertainment and education.
“A number of leading Balinese performers have agreed to be involved in the performances across the island.”
The audience will also be provided with sustainable products, including bamboo straws, glass bottles and cotton bags, which Kashmir says will help turn her message into action.