​The Echoes Project is an ongoing collaborative project, creating contemporary ritual in response  to urban sites in Australia.
Ria Soemardjo and Janette Hoe draw  from personal connections to  Malaysian-Chinese and Indonesian ceremonial traditions. 

The Echoes Project 2018 :  The Seafarer's Welcome,  Mapping Melbourne Festival

A journey through the  Mission to Seafarers site - a  sanctuary for seafarers for the last 100 years  and a symbol of old world generosity amidst the rapidly shifting landscape of the Docklands. The Echoes Projects artists evoke fragments of stories embedded in this site through mesmerising live soundscapes, movement and imagery. 
 Ria Soemardjo - lead collaborator - voice/viola/percussion
Janette Hoe - design/dance artist
Pongjit (Jon) Saphakun - actor
​Ron Reeves - khen (thai reed instrument)/percussion
Matt Stonehouse - percussion
​Photo by DWV Photography
Presented by Mapping Melbourne Festival 2018
Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants Program

MAPPING MELBOURNE FESTIVAL -  DECEMBER 2017

'Under the Facing Heaven Archway in Chinatown Plaza, one dancer and three musicians take you on a journey, evoking fragments of forgotten stories from the surrounding laneways.'
The Echoes Project - ritual/performance in Chinatown Plaza and Cohen Lane, CBD - 2017
Ria worked with Janette Hoe (dance artist) -  researching the history of the bustling,  laneway next to the Chinese Museum, in Cohen Place. They discovered that the 3 storey building backing onto the laneway was  once a sweat shop,  a brothel, a Chinese temple and now a busy bar /restaurant.  In collaboration with percussionists Ron Reeves and Matt Stonehouse, the ensemble developed  a contemporary performance ritual incorporating  live music/dance.
Photos by Max Milne and Damien Vicenza