Conference and festival program unveiled
The official program for Junction 2010, the seventh Regional Arts Australia (RAA) national conference was unveiled in Launceston on April 13. The event was attended by more than 120 people from the arts, government, corporate and academic sectors.
The unveiling of the conference and festival program created a distinct buzz and attendees are eagerly looking forward to the event.
Conference program highlights
Forums: Two forums produced by Tasdance and the Design Centre Tasmania featuring international keynotes as they explore current concerns and future possibilities in their respective genres.
Plenaries : Six plenaries with four internationally regarded keynotes.
Dr Ernesto Sirolli – a noted authority in the field of sustainable economic development and social enterprise in partnership with TasCOSS and the State Government.
Francois Matarasso - an independent researcher and writer specialising in community cultural practice. His work focuses on practice-led research, mostly around the impact of participation in culture.
Mark Pesce - Internationally recognized as the man who brought virtual reality into the World Wide Web, Mark Pesce has been exploring the frontiers of the future for nearly two decades.
Mike White - a UK authority on the role of the arts in health promotion and community health, who contends there is a direct correlation between the social determinants of health and the biological imperative to be creative.
Breakout sessions: 45 sessions covering a broad range of topics.
• The role of the arts in bushfire recovery
• New technology and how it can enhance, detract and confound
• Social enterprise and the artist as entrepreneur
• The value of research and evaluation
• Practical tips for grant-writing, and
• Arts and health
Speakers at these sessions include Robyn Archer, Marcus Westbury, Deborah Conway, Elizabeth Walsh, Jane Haley and a rich array of practicing artists, academics, researchers, philosophers, philanthropists, poets, arts enthusiasts and community developers. There is also a not-to-be-missed session by the Australia Council Community Partnerships titled “x marks the spot” where a young panel of women will discuss the unique position women have as artists and facilitators in the community arts and cultural development sector.
Hands on workshops: 20 workshops inviting delegate participation
• Dance like a Man by an Indigenous dance group from Western Australia brought here by Ausdance WA
• Willow Furniture making by Jed Gillian
• Finger knitting with participants from The Knitting Room, a project run in Hobart by Uniting Aged Care
• A series of mystery walking tours that will explore Launceston’s nooks and crannies
• Speed Meeting sessions aimed at producing maximum networking in minimum time!
Other Highlights:
Opening ceremony devised by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Working group with Ian Pidd, Jaspa Woods from Festival of Voices in Hobart and Mandi Field from Silent Landscape Projects in Victoria.
Twilight sessions using PechaKucha. A funky format giving speakers 20 slides and 20 seconds to speak to each slide.
The Junction Function: A dinner featuring a menu of fresh, local produce designed by celebrity chef Fiona Hoskin, and a menu of dance curated by Tasdance member Trisha Dunn.
Workshop: Using ‘Open Space Technology’, which combines the level of synergy and excitement present in a good coffee break, with the substantive activity and results characteristic of a good meeting. This will ask “How do we best take hold of the opportunities currently before us to ensure a vibrant future for the arts?"
Festival program highlights
Junction Arts Festival promises to be an exuberant showcase of wonderful art encompassing theatre, dance, opera, visual arts, writing, installation and more. Plus a great program of music, cabaret and variety in a genuinely cool festival club.
It features the best of local and interstate art with more than 44 events of which 38 are free and many are participatory.
The program includes two international collaborations:
Haircuts by Children by the award winning Canadian company Mammalian Diving Reflex
Two projects by acclaimed Indonesian architect Eko Prawoto. The Zero Project, an installation created with a zero material budget and the Kraton exhibition, a result of Eko's residency with the UTAS School of Architecture and Design.
Interstate offerings include:
Car-cophony by Matthew Timmis (SA) a performance installation with 12 cars, their drivers and stereos
Landed by illumination artist Cindy Drennin (SA), transforming Launceston's so called ugliest building, Henty House
The Outhouse by TRAX (NSW), a participatory research tool and interactive installation, The Outhouse turns the old style photo booth on its head by replacing it with custom built digital media technology
World premieres by Tasmanian artists including:
WeTubeLIVE - a living exhibition of 100 solos ripped from the internet and performed by a diverse group of young Tasmanians, WeTubeLIVE is a playful response to the video sharing site YouTube. Presented by Stompin.
New work by the Tasmanian Leather Orchestra, Marcus Tatton and the Tasmanian Writers Centre and back by popular demand : Sex Death and a Cup of Tea by Tasmanian Theatre Company, The Knitting Room by Uniting Aged Care and Jane Franklin by Silkweed.
Each evening The Junc Room, the festival club in the city centre, will feature a terrific music program ranging from surf pop to hip hop, and a selection of eclectic cabaret and theatre works from across Australia. Fanning out from the festival club will be a constellation of free events with writers creating love letters in cafes, musicians roaming the mall in rickshaws, dancers in shop fronts, hotel rooms turned into art galleries and church halls into international Zine hubs.
Speaking about the festival Artistic Director Ian Pidd promises that “If you take a walk in the city during the event you will certainly come across things to intrigue, stimulate and delight you – up trees, in parks, on street corners.”
To view the complete program visit www.junction2010.com.au
