STREET & MURAL ARTISTS ON SHOW Humourous, captivating, sometimes disturbing, and heavily engaged urban frescoes adorn the walls of cities worldwide. Street art covers almost every nook and cranny of our creative and colourful region (mainly Melbourne, but we have our few special go-to spots), and checking out every little bit of these vibrant artworks is one of our favourite things to do when pounding the pavement. If you’re a fan of exploring the creative side of street art, but maybe don’t have enough time to venture across the countryside, The V I V I D C O L O U R Exhibition is just for you! Curated by Newtown fine art studio Bells Fine Art, the exhibition is showcasing the talents of street and mural artists for the first time in a gallery setting. The free exhibition (currently at Geelong Arts Centre until December 13, before moving to Torquay at the end of the month), features 21 works from three local and interstate artists, who usually paint on walls and on street corners but have cleverly converted their work into a gallery setting. In curating this exhibition, the team at Bells Fine Art has selected artists not only for their talent and their impressive use of colour, but mainly to support artists who have experienced hardship to overcome challenges and have been inspired by the dramatic impacts of their upbringing. “Bells Fine Art is a socially-conscious art studio and we are committed to supporting artists who have
been impacted by poverty or family violence or have a significant social or political opinion that influences their work,” curator Belinda White explains. Silly Sullys (@sillysullys on Insta) is an impressive and well-known Melbourne and Geelong street artist, who uses neon aerosols to create dynamic imagery using animals, mainly husky and dingos as his muses. Sully was impacted by childhood poverty, abuse, and family breakdown and has overcome this to become an impressive street and mural artist in his own right. He has a newly finished work, the face of a werewolf that is situated at the Malthouse in Geelong. Joining Sully’s works in the exhibition, Brian Connolly (@brianconnollyart) will draw you in with the most whimsical and beautiful art that sends a message of hope to save our vulnerable mother earth. The Melbourne-born, Byron Bay artist is deeply inspired by nature and is adept at capturing important topics such as the impacts of climate change, protecting our natural world and the mental health campaign “Are you Okay?”. “My works are greatly influenced by the impact that the fast pace of society places on every individual,” Connolly says. “Climate change, natural disasters and the fires that are currently raging in the area I live in, just exemplifies the purpose and message in my works. My work is designed to connect people back to the earth and the life-source that feeds us every day, and to remind us just how vulnerable mother nature is.” Rounding out the huge lineup of talent is local pop culture artist Luke Elphick (@lukeelphickart) who will be on show demonstrating his brilliant use of colour and dynamic interpretation of art through the pop culture lens. The best part about Luke’s take on art is that he likes to add humour into it, by turning regular and mundane items into something exciting and a little bit cheeky. It’s relatable, super clever and we absolutely love it. The V I V I D C O L O U R Exhibition will run until December 13 at the Geelong Arts Centre and from December 27 2019 – January 26 2020 at the Torquay Town Centre.
SHARKBANZ: THE WEARABLE SHARK DETERRENT Here at Forte, we get to review some pretty cool things, from music, movies, and comics to pretty much, well, everything. Every once in awhile, though, something comes across the desk that leaves us scratching our heads. Not in a bad way - more of a “how come no one has ever thought of this before?” kind of way! Sharkbanz is a nifty invention from the brains of co-founders Nathan and David Garrison. After spending years surfing in murky waters, wondering what lurks beneath them and reef diving with sharks, they came up with the Sharkbanz concept. The idea was to create a more secure, effective type of deterrent against the large, chomp-happy predators they share the ocean waters with. Collaborating with marine biologists, they looked for a technological solution to satiate their desire for extra security and peace of mind. They’ve been open about their overall goal, stating that they aim to “develop simple, effective and affordable strategies
to reduce the risk of a shark bite - providing peace of mind and protection to every beachgoer, swimmer and surfer around the world while also promoting marine conservation and education.” The result from this collaboration and extensive research was the titular Sharkbanz, which uses a patented magnetic technology developed and refined by the marine biologists to deter the predatory denizens of the deep. The idea is that the powerful, permanent magnets within the bands can overload the sharks’ electroreception, which is the ability that sharks use in murky and dark water to navigate and find their prey. While using this capability the sharks are looking for small electromagnetic indicators, e.g. heartbeats, muscle movements, etc. from their prey. By using the powerful magnets within the bands, the marine biologists have created a strong electromagnetic presence that is far larger than anything the shark will have ever encountered within its natural habit. This will create highly unpleasant feedback for the shark and convince it that the wearer of the Sharkbanz is not prey. Because this technology uses inbuilt magnets, an especially cool feature is that the field will always be active, and the contents of the band will never require recharging or battery changes. Sharkbanz has already made a name for itself as a key item for many beachgoers as their Instagram and website boasts a range of high complimentary testimonials and reviews with an outstanding 4.8 out of 5-star rating. While I hope to never actually need the band, if you are like me and would like a little bit of extra peace of mind (as well as a sense of protection) as you step out into the murky waters, this product is a simple and effective way to reduce the risk of a shark encounter. Visit www.sharkbanz.com.au/ Written by Adrian Aloi
LAB will encourage young people to experiment and learn from leading arts professionals and connect with a community of young people through a series of workshops, classes, holiday programs and research initiatives. EMERGE will give time, space and support for artists to explore ideas and develop their creative practice – with Platform Youth Arts to offer studio spaces and leadership programs for emerging artists. The organisation will also provide funded creative development opportunities to support performance makers to create and present new work. Expressions of interest are now open.
A NEW PLATFORM FOR GEELONG YOUTH ARTS The New Year is fast approaching and that means it’s the perfect time for new opportunities. One such chance is for Geelong’s arts community, which welcomes a new era for Geelong with a fresh platform for youth arts. Platform Youth Arts will champion a new generation of thinkers, makers, risk-takers and agitators with a brand-new program of events, exhibitions, performances, mentorships, residencies and workshops. Formerly Courthouse Youth Arts, the name change and new program solidifies their position as one of Geelong’s most dynamic arts organisations – and the platform for youth arts and emerging and experimental arts practitioners in Geelong.
The IGNITE program will see Platform Youth Arts present an exciting array of performances, exhibitions and festivals – including performances from Platform’s soon-to-be-announced 2020 Companies in Residence, an evolving program of visual arts exhibitions to be housed in the Platform Gallery and more… “Platform is the perfect name for our dynamic, multi-artform organisation and a great indicator for the plans we have for the future,” says Alison Harvey, chair of Platform Youth Arts board. “In 2020, we’ll be hosting workshops, residencies, mentorships, performances, festivals and other funded opportunities – and will be the platform for young people in Geelong to creatively express and explore their artistic talents.” For further information, visit www.platformarts.org.au
From 2020, three program streams – LAB, EMERGE and IGNITE will foster a creative and inclusive community of artists creating new works at the heart of Geelong’s cultural precinct.
Meet
Orby!
Go on a free augmented reality journey with Orby and learn more about Geelong Gallery artworks these school holidays.
A free self guided tour Children must be accompanied by an adult Suitable for ages 4 to 10 years
Program partners
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