Pair's resonance brings sound and breathing together

Woodcarving, breathwork and a beautiful, live guitar – such as the pleasures awaiting attendees of an immersive exhibition in the northern Illawarra this weekend.

From May 1-3, the Clifton School of Arts will host Resonant Dimensions, a collaboration by woodcarver and breathwork facilitator Will Mitry and internationally recognised classical guitarist Sako Dermenjian. 

“We have a lot of beautiful, different things all connected to wood and culture and sound,” Sako says.

“I’ve done two concerts at Clifton School of Arts, and every time, there would be paintings or exhibitions that weekend.

“So this time, I was with Will at the Illawarra Folk Festival, and was like ‘Will, do you want to come and do an art exhibition with your woodcarving? And slowly, that idea evolved.”

"It's really the perfect collaboration where Sako will take us on a journey with the sound, I'll take people on a journey with the breath and the guided meditation,” Will says.

Will and Sako met years ago through the Illawarra’s thriving arts and music scene. Despite their different mediums, the duo come together through shared values and a deep personal connection to their cultures, expressed through the work they do.

"The common thing between us is our passion and how we like to tell stories with our art," Sako says. 

"Clifton School of Arts is an amazing place by itself with a lot of history, and I think we use our culture with that, too. He does that through his wood carving and I do that through my guitar playing".

Sako, an Armenian born in Syria who has called Australia home since 2013, expresses his emotional experiences through skilful performances of classical Spanish guitar. Today, Sako is a respected performer, a TEDx speaker and an endorsed artist with Yamaha.

"The sound that he creates is very powerful and very emotional because it’s coming from that deep place in his soul," Will says. 

"The pain and struggles of growing up in war... that emotional expression that comes from those deep, dark places is so powerful.”

Growing up with Lebanese heritage, Port Kembla local Will was surrounded by craftsmanship, and brings the tactile groundedness brought by woodcarving to his work as a breathwork facilitator.

“My dad was a leatherworker, and he did a lot of woodwork as well. I’m pretty confident that the skill comes to me through that genetic makeup of me… those cultures have been creating with their hands for thousands of generations,” Will says.

“So when I got into woodcarving ... it was almost like it was calling me. When I discovered the process of woodcarving, I was like ‘I know this is me, I know this is what I want to do’ and I’ve got a lot to share through this art form.”

After six years of studying breathwork, Will founded Wisdom of One aiming to help others connect with their “creative intelligence”, focused on embracing challenges, building resilience and connection. Now he is in the process of launching an app to gift others with the practices he has found impactful.

"When we do the breathwork, we get to a state where we knock out the prefrontal cortex, the busy part of the mind, and we get into the deeper parts," Will says.

"We’re spending less time doing and more time just being distracted by the information world. We’re stuck in information worlds and we’re not in the doing worlds, the creative worlds. The ability to create things with our hands is a gift and it’s something we’re starting to lose a little bit in modern culture,”

“By quieting the mind, we allow the intelligence of our being to open up, and to listen. Once we’re listening, we can fine-tune who we are and what we want to create in this world.”

On Friday night, attendees will enjoy the resonant dimensions sound journey, combining somatic breathwork with live guitar soundscapes among Will’s woodcarvings. The session is designed to bring participants clarity and connection with the inner self.

"Breathwork's about this journey inwards rather than a journey outwards,” Will says.

"The sound is a very important part of that. And I know how incredibly well Sako plays guitar and the feeling you get when you’re just watching Sako play... you don't even need to be doing the breathwork to have that inwards journey."

On Saturday morning, audiences have the opportunity to participate in the Wisdom of One Breathwork Journey led by Will to quieten mental noise, relax the body and tap into intuition. Sako will perform on Saturday evening, giving audiences the chance to experience his artistry in an intimate live setting.

"The place itself, it’s full of history. When you go into the place, you just feel, looking at the ocean and the greenery, it’s an amazing place to do a weekend like that,” Sako says.

Visitors after a more tactile experience can also enjoy the woodcarving exhibition from 10am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

"On Sunday, we're sort of inviting our friends and family and whoever wants to come just to come and have a good time with us and celebrate music, celebrate art, celebrate culture,” Will says.

Tickets to this three-day immersive arts experience are via Humanitix.

Meanwhile, at Port Kembla Skate Park

Will takes his purpose-driven philosophy from the studio into the community, having championed the official launch of Port Kembla Skate Park in 2024. 

"That skate park was really an output of the breathwork, because in Wisdom of One, one of the domains that we focus on is community,” Will says.

“For me, I’d set my purpose for community was to create spaces for community connection. And that purpose statement really helped shape my subconscious and then my decisions around the work that I put into that skate park."

"It’s evidence that when we get clear on our purpose and align our actions, we can achieve great things in the world.”

The PKDIY Skate Park had become a place of connection from its inception during the pandemic, with residents setting up hand-made obstacles on the tennis courts. Recognising the need to foster the grassroots project, Will joined the Port Kembla Chamber of Commerce and Industry to advocate for permanent infrastructure. 

Eventually, the community secured a $500,000 grant through the Port Kembla Community Investment Fund and the NSW government. After careful consultation with more than 120 community members, the park offers a tailor-made space for locals of all ages to come together.

"We’ve had 100 per cent positive feedback," Will says. 

"Everyone's loving it... I’m loving going down there and seeing it just being a busy, buzzing atmosphere every afternoon with kids from three years to 65 down there enjoying themselves.”

The project’s success has even won over those who were initially sceptical of the development.

"Even the old fellow across the road who was initially opposed to the skate park… he’s got himself a scooter and he’s using it," Will laughs.

 "When I spoke to him the other week, he was like, ‘Yeah, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’".

Beyond the social benefits, the park has provided an economic boost to the area. By attracting visitors from the northern suburbs, the park has increased foot traffic to businesses and coffee shops, putting Port Kembla on the map for the regional skate community.

"We’ve got a pretty famous skateboard influencer, Leon Paxton... he did a full 20-minute video on the backstory of the skate park," Will says. 

"It's had good reviews from the skate community but also just the wider community down there enjoying the space".

The Port Kembla Chamber of Commerce is looking to secure funding for further "passive" infrastructure to complete the precinct. This includes the addition of shade structures for families and spectators, as well as an accessibility ramp down to the road to assist prams and disabled access.