ART & INDUSTRY FESTIVAL
TEN DAYS OF INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH ART 16 – 25 November, 2018
Presented by Hubcap Productions in partnership with Hobsons Bay City Council
THE ART & INDUSTRY FESTIVAL 2018 AIF18 was the second iteration of a creative collaboration between Hobsons Bay City Council and Donna Jackson’s Hubcap Productions. Building on the success of the inaugural biennial festival in 2016, this partnership developed and delivered 32 unique events/activities and co-produced a further 13 events with local venues, factories and businesses, a 95% increase on events/activities produced in 2016. AIF16 proved there was demonstrable local appetite for events built on authentic shared local history and experiences. It tested and proved that the chosen model could deliver strong local engagement, increase connectedness and engender pride. The resounding success of AIF16 in meeting the aims of HBCC, Hubcap and the participating artists gave the partners confidence to more deeply explore and extend creative concepts linked to the theme of industry in 2018.
All images by Lindy Allen unless otherwise noted PREVIOUS PAGE IF: Industrial Fashion 2018 ‘Hi Viz’ by designer: Alex Kowal
THE BRIDGE PROJECTS After achieving substantial new grant income from arts funding bodies, Creative Victoria and the Australia Council, Artistic Director Donna Jackson established an artist-in-residence program, allowing her to develop long-term collaborations with two nationally regarded mid-career artists, photographer Bindi Cole Chocka and musician James Henry.
2018 marked 40 years since the opening of the West Gate Bridge, and bridges, both physical and metaphorical, became the lens through which the artists could acknowledge the past and consider what lessons it offered in designing the future. The multi-faceted centrepiece of the festival, ‘The Bridge Projects’, created an opportunity for artists and audiences to reflect on the West Gate Bridge collapse in 1970 which was a central event for many community members. Through performance, exhibition, discussion, film, site-specific projection and song, stories were revealed which explored this event from a number of perspectives.
Donna Jackson’s theatre project Dust: Adelaide SA 2013
PREVIOUS PAGE The Bridge Project Image by Bindi Cole Chocka
CREATIVE EVALUATION
‘The Bridge’, a verbatim play written by Vicki Reynolds and directed by Donna Jackson, was first performed at Footscray Community Arts Centre in 1990. Presented during AIF18 at the Substation over five sold-out performances, the play drew widespread media interest from Melbourne’s Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Radio National and ABC’s 774. The remount told the story of Aboriginal musicians performing for workers on the Bridge for the first time, illustrating the early support unions gave to Aboriginal rights. The Projection and the Images, a photographic installation by Bindi Cole Chocka presented over two sites in Newport, enabled the artist consider the industry of being an artist and the profound impact of the mentorship she received from her late mother and from AIF Director Donna Jackson. The day-long symposium How to Build Bridges, brought together former bridge workers, academics and creatives to consider how art can build bridges across communities and cultures. Mark Seymour’s song ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’, translated by James Henry into his grandmother’s language, Yuwaalaraay, was performed by Mark, James and local singers, demonstrating the power of language and song to build cultural bridges. PREVIOUS PAGE ‘The Bridge’, a play by Vicki Reynolds Directed by Donna Jackson
OTHER MAJOR EVENTS
IF: Industrial Fashion (including Wear & Share) again opened the festival with a fashion and dance extravaganza featuring industrially inspired designers from the West. Creating stunning garments with materials imbued with their own stories, these artists reflect familiar landscapes and local icons back to a hugely appreciative audience. Each year, this event has partnered with a local dance school, giving young dancers a chance to shine and gain professional experience.
Participant and Audience reactions “It was an amazing opportunity being able to show pride and represent Altona and Williamstown in an amazing show.” Michaela King, aged 15, dance student, Lifestyle for Kids “It’s so important for them to experience something like this. The skills they gain will be so valuable in the future.” Michelle Knezevic, dance instructor, Lifestyle for Kids “It was magnificent. This is a community here, we see work being done in places that we know about and it brings us all together.” Richard MacNeill, local resident, audience member “It was fantastic. I’m an industrial designer and I really loved the creativity and the marriage of engineering and art.” Mario Matkovich, local resident, audience member PREVIOUS PAGE Industrial Fashion 2018 Designer: Stephanie England
Three mini night-time festivals offered residents the rare chance to experience familiar parks and streetscapes decked out in evening garb, with outdoor stages featuring local musicians, a pop-up Container Cinema premiering locally-made films and an outdoor photographic installation, Night Shift, which examined the lives of people who work while the rest of us sleep. A Night in Newport Supported by Newport Traders Association, this event enabled the festival to trial ideas to invigorate Paine Reserve that emerged during a place-making consultation undertaken by Hubcap Productions on behalf of HBCC in 2017. The Outside Gallery, an initiative of artist Bindi Cole Chocka featuring several large curated light boxes, was installed and activated. Newport residents turned out in droves to enjoy family entertainment and the carnival style ambience. A Night in Laverton The lively shopping strip of Railway Avenue in Laverton, with hip cafĂŠ Favor & Grace, a renowned Tattoo Studio and several eateries, is developing an exciting village feel. This event enabled AIF18 to share this dynamic change with over 200 local residents. The Skin and Storytelling photographic exhibition profiled the exciting work of Body Image Tattooing in using the skin as a canvas to tell important stories. PREVIOUS PAGE A Night in Newport
Tony runs his business as a digital and commercial business but his heart has always been in the artistic side. The project for him gave him a chance to explore what his business might have been in an ideal world, where the creative, hand-done side of industrial art was understood and appreciated. He enjoyed the fact that the project allowed him to promote that vision to people who stopped and talked to him.
A Night in Altona AIF18 worked with HBCC and Altona Village Traders Association to trial the closure of Pier Street and offer residents the chance to step out at night, picnic at outdoor tables, dance in the streets and explore art installations in Logan Reserve. Family groups made the most of the early evening’s entertainment while a younger crowd enjoyed lively local bands programmed by musician Sherry Rich. Altona Homestead, with a new Mobil memorabilia exhibition, opened to record attendances, and Altona’s new ‘secret bar’ Hopheads offered a special ‘Industrial Arty Ale’ to satisfy its packed house. The Secret Bar program profiled six of Hobsons Bay’s unusual, hip and quirky bars and licensed cafes, curating exhibitions, talks, cooking and dancing demos and choral performances to help promote interest. Businesses involved estimated an average 50% surge in traffic during the festival and ongoing flow-on from social media and word-of-mouth. Williamstown Italian Social Club reported the enthusiastic response to their Secret Bar and Open Day delighted their members who were able to showcase their history and culture to a wider audience.
PREVIOUS PAGE A Night in Altona with the Mexican Music Man and staff from Hopheads
A popular initiative of AIF16, the Open Day program again worked with local industries to offer local residents the chance to tour the West’s factories, plants and workshops that embody a century and a half of stories of ingenuity, design innovation and working life. Link Pumps, C Blunt Boatbuilders,Two Birds Brewing, the Fire Services Museum of Victoria, Williamstown Italian Social Club and Anna Kolusniewski’s studio had steady visitation throughout the day while O-I Glass booked out within days of the program launch. “It’s a way of educating the general public as well as participating in the community, putting back into the community, which is very important to us. A lot of people aren’t aware of how these pumps can be used.” Annie Link, Link Pumps “My husband and friend went on the O-I Glass and loved it, they were blown away and thought it was really interesting. Jenelle McMinn, local resident The popular guided Walks and Talks program was expanded in 2018 to include a night tour of Newport’s public art which also acted as ‘walking bus’ between several festival exhibitions and events. PREVIOUS PAGE Open Day at O-I Glass
THE IMPACT OF THE FESTIVAL ON ARTISTS During AIF18, 127 artists and 146 community participants were directly engaged in festival-produced events. Providing career and professional development opportunities for local artists is key to sustaining and growing creative practice in the western suburbs and underpins all four principles outlined in HBCC’s Arts & Culture Plan 2018-2022: Cultural Vitality, Sustainability, Innovation and Excellence, Participation and Social Inclusion. Profiled below are four local artists who were supported in both 2016 and 2018 by the Artistic Director, through the Lion Taming Your Arts Projects workshops, to develop their practice. Bin Dixon-Ward, Jeweller “It was challenging at first. Focusing on a theme as opposed to my own interests meant I had to change my working process. I started with Google Earth, zooming in on storage yards and factories in the West. I explored new materials and new processes of manufacturing objects in 3-d printing, using techniques which have only been in existence for two years. Jewellery is all about communicating value. If you’re wearing sparkly diamonds, that communicates what your value is, whereas I’ve wanted to communicate the things in the landscape, the objects that people have made, as valuable objects as well.” PREVIOUS PAGE Necklace from the exhibition ‘This is What’s Left of the West Gate Bridge’ Artist: Bin Dixon-Ward
Zoya Martin, Photographer, Nightshift “I am interested in exploring industry because I live in this industrial suburb and it’s a way of embracing it. My whole life I’ve driven past these industries and didn’t know what happened in there. The project gave me an appreciation for how hard it is for nightshift workers to manage their time and energy and stay connected with their family.” Megan Slattery, AIF18 Graphic Designer “The art walk gave me the opportunity to research the public art works in Newport and write a tour. I’ve performed in some of the shows and worked with a client to design a tattoo based on the West Gate Bridge. The festival has opened up avenues for me creatively that I never would have ventured into.” Heather Van Heerwaarden, Film-maker and Curator, Container Films Project “The festival was a great catalyst for me to do more with film. As an artist it’s a very exciting brief to look at a particular industry and help other people discover it as well. It’s exciting to make work that’s part of a larger festival and to collaborate with other filmmakers.”
PREVIOUS PAGE ‘Nightshift’ photographic installation in Altona Artist: Zoya Martin
IN SUMMARY
45 127 75 6,000+
EVENTS IN TEN DAYS ARTISTS COLLABORATING NEW WORKS CREATED ATTENDED AND PARTICIPATED
AIF18 enabled local stories to be told through a wide range of activities:
Industry Open Days Secret Bars Exhibitions Street Festivals Theatre Installations
PREVIOUS PAGE Cesira Grey models a design by Artist Anna Kolusniewski
ABC Radio 774 MELBOURNE Interview with Jon Faine
Read story here Listen here
Radio National ‘THE HUB’ Interview with Michael Cathcart
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ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE 2018 FESTIVAL New and substantial financial support for the Festival from both the State and Federal Government Academic interest both nationally and internationally in the Festival State and National media interest in the Festival Social media During AIF18, the festival more than doubled its activity and following. Local coverage The Star Newspaper took festival news and information into 43,000 homes in Hobsons Bay several times. National and State Coverage Sydney Morning Herald: here Overland Magazine/online podcast: here The Age Newspaper: here ABC Radio 774, the Conversation Hour with Jon Faine: here Radio National’s The Hub with Michael Cathcart: here
PREVIOUS PAGE: ‘How to build Bridges’ Symposium Performance by Mark Seymour, James Henry and Newport singers
PREVIOUS PAGE: ‘Skin and Story Telling’ Tattoo and Photographic Project Tattoo design by Megan Slattery