Off The Leash – August 2020

20 20

Winner, • FOOD & DRINK • COMMUNITY

TAKING TERRITORY TO THE GLOBE

DAAF goes digital

DF20 HOMEGROWN

Darwin Festival celebrates Territory talents and flavours

SALON ART PROJECTS

Showcasing Indigenous art

AUGUST

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The Creative Industries makes significant ECONOMIC IMPACT to the Northern Territory.

We make a $502.3M gross economic contribution to the NT with a further $233.1M through induced cultural tourism. We provide 2,392 FTE local jobs annually.*

We call for:-

• The recommendations from the Creative Industries report to be adopted.

• The Territory Government to acknowledge the value of a Creative Industries Peak Body.

The economic impact of the Creative Industries is larger than that of Agriculture and Fishing or Financial and Insurance Services in the NT.*

ELECTION ASKS 2020

NORTHERN TERRITORY ARTS AND CULTURAL SECTOR

HEALTH and EDUCATION

The Creative Industries plays a crucial role in HEALTH AND EDUCATION including mental, social and physical wellbeing, and social cohesion.

We consistently deliver positive outcomes to the broad community through arts initiatives that support learning, transformative opportunities, and civic participation.

We call for:-

• The Territory Government to acknowledge the consistent contribution of the Creative Industries and, in recognition, to incorporate a Creative Industries voice across all government departments.

CLIMATE EMERGENCY

The Creative Industries recognises the CLIMATE EMERGENCY.

We shift and adapt our practices to reflect and respond to this.

We call for:-

• The Territory Government to acknowledge the climate emergency and take immediate action.

• A cohesive strategy and mechanism for better coordination between the three levels of government.

LIVEABILITY

The Creative Industries are a significant contributor to the LIVEABILITY of our community, and our quality of life.

The arts and cultural sector is central to the Northern Territory identity.

We call for:-

• Investment that is commensurate with the critical role the Creative Industries plays as a primary driver of tourism and lifestyle.

“In 2017: More than three quarters of all tourists who visited the NT were arts tourists (78%), compared to half who visited NSW (50%).” **

Events listed in this edition of Off The Leash are subject to change. The situation around COVID-19 is evolving and information provided within this publication is correct – to the best of our knowledge –at time of print.

We recommend you refer to individual event websites and social media accounts for the most up-to-date information.

ell, folks, the busiest month on the Top End calendar is here! With the arrival of August usually comes an influx of interstate and international visitors. This year, things are playing out a little differently.

With our borders now open, we can expect to see the regular suspects make tracks to the Top End in dusty four-wheel drives, campers in tow – welcome to paradise! Our airports won’t receive quite as many guests but we look forward to welcoming our international friends back, down the track.

FROM THE Editor

It goes without saying disruptions to plans and events have been hard to predict and manage over the past few months – but where some might see limitations, others see opportunity, and this is certainly the case for this month’s (gorgeous) cover sponsor.

The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation has cast their net across the globe, this year’s DAAF presented online to give the world a peek into the incredible bounty of Indigenous art Australia has to offer. Check out this month’s main feature to find out more, including the inside word on the inaugural National Indigenous Fashion Awards.

Indigenous art is placed front and centre this month, with six Salon Arts exhibitions to peruse, including the eighth year of fan favourite, Salon des Refusés – a showcase of wonderful artwork submitted to, but not accepted for, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Art Awards, also on this month

And get ready to take those hats off… The Darwin Festival team must be commended for their efforts to present the first major arts festival in the country since COVID hit, the 2020 program taking on many variations due to the evolving and unpredictable situation. DF20 Homegrown celebrates the incredible creative community in the NT, something Territorians can be very, very proud of.

You may notice this magazine is a little smaller than our regular August bumper edition. Our team has been reduced due to the pandemic, but rest assured we are working very hard to share incredible things to do, see, eat and experience in the Top End.

If I’m not hanging out with my adorable new baby nephew, I’ll be seeing you out and about. On that note, a special shout out to all of the parents who have brought new life into this world at such a bizarre time. What champions!

Off The Leash Inc. acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

By Anna Dowd

Supporting Indigenousowned Art Centres is what the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) is all about.

A silver lining during the global pandemic means the world has access –for the first time – to our incredible bounty of Indigenous art, this year’s new digital format set to take DAAF to the next level.

Taking Territory to the Globe

his month over nine days, DAAF is set to showcase the work of artists from 68 Art Centres around Australia, connecting with audiences and buyers across the country and the world.

DAAF Foundation Executive Director Claire Summers says adapting the physical fair to the times is an exciting opportunity.

“By moving to a digital platform, we can reach a truly global audience and help people from all walks of life explore the wonderful world of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and design,” she says.

“In either an online or offline format, DAAF creates an important meeting place for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to come together to celebrate the rich heritage and vibrant culture of our First Nations Peoples.”

From the bush-dyed silks of the Gulf of Carpentaria to Daly River pandanus and sand-palm fibre works, and bright, finely dotted landscape paintings of the Central Desert, the breadth of artistic practice on display will enthral.

Central to DAAF’s mission – whether it’s a screen-printed shirt for $30 or a $30,000 painting by an established artist – every dollar is returned to the artists and their respective communities.

The 2020 DAAF experience includes cultural performances from Mornington Island and the Torres Strait, artist masterclasses in weaving and painting delivered online (and via post) to your living room, and a livestreaming of the inaugural National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA).

In DAAF’s 14th year, the addition of the NIFA is an exciting expansion of what is already Australia’s largest Indigenous art event.

NIFA Creative Director Nina Fitzgerald says it’s a natural step, given the rise of textile art practices in remote Art Centres, and recent, hugely successful partnerships with high end fashion designers like Gorman.

“The NIFA are a platform to recognise innovation, diversity, and ethical practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander textile artists and fashion designers.”

She says the wildly popular Country to Couture fashion show, postponed until a later date this year, shows just how alive the Indigenous fashion space is.

“Textiles and fashion design has been booming at the Fair. The interest and growth is massive, as is the calibre of textile creatives already working in the sector. The six categories and over 30 nominees in these inaugural awards reflect this.”

Fitzgerald says the NIFA are yet another example of cultural excellence. The Alliance formed in 2019 between the country’s cornerstone Indigenous events – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Garma Festival, National Indigenous Music Awards, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (including NIFA and Country to Couture) and Salon Art Projects – makes even more visible the powerhouse of Indigenous cultural events held each August in the Top End.

“These five organisations together host the most outstanding, high-profile awards in Indigenous visuals arts, music and politics.

“They are proudly celebrating Indigenous Australia, educating the public, and together make a very powerful offering.”

Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair

WHEN THU 6 – FRI 14 AUG INFO daaf.com.au

National Indigenous Fashion Awards

WHEN WED 5 AUG INFO nifa.com.au

Top: 2019 North Tiwi Collection.

Photo: Kate Noble Photography.

Left: Eunice Napanangka Jack, Ikuntji Artists Studio, 2018, Photo by Chrischona Schmidt, Courtesy Ikuntji Artists.

Right: Shaun Namarnyilk & Owen Naborlhborlh on Injalak Hill, Kerri Meehan on behalf of Injalak Arts.

VISUAL ARTS

CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY

Building Orange 12, CDU Casuarina Campus | 8946 6621 | cdu.edu.au/artgallery

WED–FRI 10AM-4PM | SAT 10AM-2PM

2020 MARKS EIGHT years since the inception of the Salon des Refusés. Over that time, the event has grown in strength with many collectors and institutions eagerly awaiting the exhibition each year. As a companion event to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Salon des Refusés

Art Award (NATISAA), Salon des Refusés allows the viewer a rare opportunity to compare and discuss the merits of selected and rejected NATSIAA artworks.

To celebrate five years of partnership with CDU Art Gallery,

All exhibitions on this page presented by salonartprojects.com.au

TACTILE ARTS

19 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay, Darwin | 8981 6616 | tactilearts.org.au

DAILY 10AM-4PM

Nyaparu (William) Gardiner

Nyaparu (William) Gardiner (dec.) was an artist, storyteller and language worker. For several years, he recorded and wrote Nyangumarta language and stories. Nyaparu painted about his childhood in the 1940s before the Pilbara Aboriginal strike of 1946, and his work on pastoral stations

the Salon des Refusés will also feature a display of the wonderful artworks acquired from previous Salon exhibitions by Charles Darwin University since 2016.

WHEN THU 6 AUG – SAT 26 SEP

PAUL JOHNSTONE GALLERY

Harriet Place, Darwin | 8941 2220 | pauljohnstonegallery.com.au

WED–FRI 10AM-5PM | TUE & SAT 10AM-2PM

throughout the Pilbara and the Kimberley.

For the last few years of his life, Nyaparu lived in Port Hedland, his childhood home. This extraordinary exhibition, held posthumously, is a physical record of Nyaparu’s incredible life.

OUTSTATION

2/3 Parap Place, Darwin | 8981 4822 | outstation.com.au

TUE 10AM-1PM | WED–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM-2PM

Mulkun Wirrpanda - Gundirr

Mulkun Wirrpanda is an independent creative from Northeast Arnhem Land, who works through the community-run Indigenous artist’s collective at Yirrkala known as Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre. This show is the latest step along a unique pathway that she has pursued over the last 10 years.

WE ARE PAINTING FOR OUR CHILDREN

Anangu

Fregon is a small town with a big heart. The rhythm of that heart is undeniably the art centre. Kaltjiti Arts was established in 1961 and in recent years has become a powerhouse in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Artists such as Witjiti George, Matjangka (Nyukana) Norris and Taylor Cooper are now well established in the Indigenous art market. This exhibition presents a selection of outstanding works with a special focus on Tjangili George, whose depictions of desert wildflowers are extraordinary.

WHEN THU 6 – SAT 29 AUG

A meeting with senior non-Indigenous artist John Wolseley in 2011 at an artist gathering at Yilpara on Blue Mud Bay, organised by Nomad Art Projects, has set in train a journey whose latest staging point is Gundirr.

THE PROJECT SPACE

1/3Vickers St, Parap | 8941 9395 | salonartprojects.com.au

TUE–FRI 10AM-5PM |SAT 10AM-2PM

Nyapanyapa

Salon Art Projects of Parap in conjunction with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery of Sydney present a new show to coincide with the first ever retrospective exhibition for an Indigenous woman at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the moment eternal - Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu.

“Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋgu is a woman of small stature, but big on style. Her art practice is quite independent of any bark-painting tradition within the Arnhem Land region. She is the daughter of the famous cultural leader Munggurrawuy Yunupiŋgu and sister to Galarrwuy and Mandawuy, both Australians of the Year.” – Franchesca Cubillo, National Gallery of Australia

Jenni Kemarre Martinello The Message Stick Series

“This series of message sticks are kiln fused, cut, re-assembled and refused multiple times, and then wheel carved and polished. They reference both our traditional message sticks which serve various functions, such as tokens of safe passage, summons to ceremony or trade, and other forms of communication, as well as specific native birds which are known to be messengers bringing news or warning.”

WHEN THU 6 – SAT 29 AUG

- Jenni Kemarre Martiniello

Wik and Kugu Art Centre Collaboration Wikmunea, 'Songline of the Dog', 2018-2019, ochres and acrylic on Milkwood. Photo: Fiona Morrison

William Gardiner 'Can't Call His Name' (detail)

Mulkun Wirrpanda. Photo courtesy Buku Larrnggay Mulka

Nyapanyapa. Photo courtesy Buku Larrnggay Mulka

Taylor Cooper painting.

Photo courtesy Kaltjiti Arts

Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, 'Lorikeet Message Stick #2', 2015, kiln fused, hot blown, wheel carved glass, 50x5.5cm diameter. Photo: Fiona Morrison

TACTILE ARTS

19 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay, Darwin | 8981 6616 | tactilearts.org.au

DAILY 10AM-4PM

NORTHERN CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART (NCCA)

Vimy Lane, Parap | 8981 5368 | 0402 379 630 | nccart.com.au

WED–FRI 10AM-4PM | SAT 10.30AM-2.30PM, OR BY APPOINTMENT

Kieren Karritpul, Untitled, 2020, screen print & lino block textile length, 205cm

THE ARTISTS’ CAMPS RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION

MERREPEN ARTS 2020: NEW PAINTINGS, TEXTILES AND CERAMICS

There is an exciting vibrancy and enthusiasm at Merrepen Arts in 2020. The artists have been working on new fabric designs, paintings and decorating ceramics. Inspired by the landscape of the Daly River, its vivid colours and abundant wildlife, there has been a focus on experimenting and pushing ideas in unique directions.

Phillip Wilson, Carmen Gilbert, Susan Nurra, AnnCarmel Mulvien, Kieren Karritpul and Nola Jimarin, are all exhibiting works across the three mediums expressing the diversity of their individual visions.

WHEN FRI 21 AUG – SUN 13 SEP | OPENING FRI 21 AUG, 5.30PM

GYRACC

Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre

Stuart Highway, Katherine East | 8972 3751 | gyracc.org.au

TUE–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM–3PM

MELABAT WANBALA II

NGUKURR ARTS

This group exhibition of artworks and artefacts celebrates culture, diversity and collaboration from artists at Ngukurr Arts. Ngukurr is an Aboriginal community located on the Roper River. Known collectively as Yugul Mangi, Ngukurr brings together people of many different clans and language groups including Ngalakgan, Alawa, Mangarrayi, Ngandi, Marra, Warndarrang, Nunggubuyu, Ritharrngu-Wägilak and Rembarrnga.

WHEN FRI 7 AUG – SAT 5 SEP OPENING FRI 7 AUG, 6-8PM

BALNHDHURR A LASTING IMPRESSION

Balnhdhurr – A Lasting Impression celebrates 20 years of onsite print production at the unique Yirrkala Print Space in the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre, located in Northeast Arnhem Land community, Yirrkala. The exhibition features a selection of works from 20 years of continual production of limited-edition fine art prints by locally employed and trained Indigenous printmakers. This exhibition is toured by Artback NT.

WHEN

In a protracted time of social isolation, and with our international borders likely to be closed for the rest of the year, NCCA is responding by holding the Artists’ Camps Retrospective Exhibition. The Artists’ Camps art and cultural engagement project saw leading Indonesian and Balinese artists come to the Territory in 2011-2012 and 2015-2016. They travelled across the NT, interpreting the landscape and Aboriginal culture. Great works of art and cultural engagement with Indonesia was the result.

UNTIL SAT 22 AUG

UNTITLED

Unit 3/1 Clocktower Caryota Crt, Coconut Grove | darwincommunityarts.org

WED-FRI 11AM-4PM | SAT 10AM–2PM | CLOSED PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

A HYPOTHETICAL DARWIN

This exhibition shows the process of re-mapping of Darwin – extracting and abstracting layers of this place we call home to tell a different story.

It is a development on Katy Moir’s Creative in Residence at the Northern Territory Archives where she was reminded of the stories that aren’t represented in planning and urban design documents. Join Katy for a special artist talk to find out more about this special project.

WHEN FRI 7 – THU 27 AUG | OPENING FRI 7 AUG, 6-8PM ARTIST TALK SAT 8 AUG, 10.30-11.30AM

OVERINDULGENCE ONLINE EXHIBITION

Alannah Grasso is UNTiTLED’s 2020 Artist in her Residence/exhibitor. She specialises in ceramic and installation, exploring the complex set of relations between bodies in physical, cultural and psychical contexts. Her work is invested with layers of autobiographical and migratory references, cultural forms and familial re-enactments.

Due to the pandemic, Alannah will host her exhibition in her home in Sydney and share her fabulous creations with you online at UNTiTLED!

WHEN FRI 14 AUG – MON 31 AUG | LAUNCHES ONLINE FRI 14 AUG, 5PM

MAGNT

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory

19 Conacher Street, The Gardens | 8999 8264 | magnt.net.au

MON–SUN 10AM-5PM

2020 TELSTRA NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES

STRAIT ISLANDER ART AWARDS EXHIBITION

Telstra NATSIAA is Australia's longest running and most prestigious art awards and exhibition dedicated to Indigenous artists. The 2020 Telstra NATSIAA includes 65 finalists, with a number of exciting emerging and established artists across several awards categories.

Expect to feel challenged, surprised and inspired by the best contemporary artists from urban and remote regions across Australia.

WHEN SAT 8 AUG, 2020 – SUN 31 JAN, 2021

Wally Wilfred, 'Mokuy (Devildevil)', 2019, acrylic paint on acrylic board, 42x60cm

Dhalmula Burarrwanga, 'Milkarri (tear)', 2012, photographic screenprint, 30x21cm

Rupert Betheras, Made Budhiana & Lionel Possum, Untitled (detail), acrylic on canvas, 180x198cm

Alannah Grasso, ‘Overindulgence’, 2020, black mid fire clay, lumina porcelain, ironstone, clear glaze & gold luster, 2.5x2.5cm

Katy Moir, ‘A Hypothetical Darwin’, 2020, Metal, perspex, trace paper, pencil, posca - varied

Art & ABOUT

Botanicals

Trans-disciplinary artist Matthew van Roden presents Botanicals as part of DF20 Homegrown – a video installation set to light up various part of town, curated by ACCOMPLICE’S Britt Guy. OTL caught up with Matthew for a chat.

Tell us everything we need to know about Botanicals!

Botanicals is a series of new projection works that I have created to be discovered around Darwin over six nights of the Festival.

They are carefully choreographed flesh-flowers, that blossom and bloom in unexpected locations in the city and suburbs.

What inspired the work?

Conversations with Britt Guy, Creative Director of ACCOMPLICE, about our lives in the suburbs, and the spaces that both inspire us and connect us to this place. Also, a desire to connect in a deeper way to these spaces through creative practice, allowing space to have a materially constructive role in the creative process.

How did some of the public spaces make the cut?

There are a few water towers in the mix, iconic monoliths that set themselves in landscapes and skyscapes alike. In that way, they occupy between-spaces, which resonates with a lot of themes in my work.

When testing the projections, these beautiful towers are much more than mere surfaces – they have a voice, they make their own demands of the work. They are agents in the process of making.

Local creative producer Britt Guy is curator of Botanicals – what made you want to team up? Britt has been experimenting with projection, so it was a natural fit with my work.

Botanicals was born out of a creative relationship, out of friendship and deep conversations about what it means to have a creative practice in this town – about what makes life liveable and about the freedom

of thinking about space, art and practice in new and different ways.

This is an ongoing exploration of creative interventions in a public space.

Tell us a bit about the role art has played in your life… It’s a little more the case that I am playing a role in the life of art. My work is attuned to boundary-making practices and how they can be unmade or deconstructed.

Consequently, these interests bleed across those lines of art and life, and I’m often unsure if I’m ever fully in one space or another. I prefer it that way.

However, I can say that art has allowed me to play lots of interesting roles, and Darwin has been a hotbed of opportunity, for which I am very grateful.

What is one thing you’d like people to consider when checking out Botanicals?

I think the work is enough of an imposition of my ideas. However, I would like people to be surprised by it. If you have time, sit with it a while to consider your own entanglements with this place –its spaces, its impositions, its affordances, and our role as part of its unique natural environment.

with artist Matthew van Roden

Matthew van Roden, 'Grevillea', 2019, (installation view) wax and digital video

A TANK FULL OF SHARKS, a deadly laser beam, a vat of acid – bad things are happening and our heroes are at risk! But will you help save them?

Genre-defying transmedia techno-troublemakers Counterpilot presents Avoidable Perils – an all-ages interactive game and whimsical social experiment exploring activism in the attention economy.

Coming to you via large-scale screens and sound design throughout Festival Park, Counterpilot Director Nathan Sibthorpe says the aim of the game is to save the cast of cartoon superheroes from their unfolding predicaments – all with the power of a simple text message.

“You’ve got 15 minutes to turn around the fate of the cartoon hero, so enough time to call your mum and get her to send a text in as well.”

With a critical mass of bystanders participating, the hero is saved and audiences are rewarded with a victory lap and the chance to learn more about the character’s superpowers.

VOTE FOR THE ARTS

By Anna Dowd

Get Creative in Palmerston AVOIDABLE PERILS

“It’s definitely very fun when a character is saved by the people,” Sibthorpe says.

An allegory for the avoidable perils in our collective midst, the idea for the project was originally inspired by climate change, but took full form when the pandemic hit.

“With climate change, we wanted to make a work that incorporated the idea that it takes a lot of Australians to do something small, to coordinate and collaborate to fight this huge threat we face,” Sibthorpe says.

“As a collective, when we couldn’t tour the shows we had planned for the year, we picked up the concept again as something we could apply to spaces in a range of socially distanced scenarios. And thematically, it made total sense given the immediate peril we’re facing with COVID. Safety is a team sport but we all have the free will to decide if we want to play.”

WHEN THU 6 – SUN 16 AUG AT FESTIVAL PARK COST FREE INFO darwinfestival.org.au

AHEAD OF THIS MONTH’S ELECTION , the Creative Industries sector encourages you to ask your local candidates how they will advance the arts, at both a policy level and through practical investment. The time has come for a Creative Resources policy, with big thinking and big ideas to spearhead the recovery of the Territory.

“The creative and cultural sectors are key industries that have sustained us through this pandemic, and can redefine how those outside view us. Long-term economic recovery is possible, drawing people to the vibrancy of this place,” says Mark Smith, MusicNT Executive Director.

“Focus government policy on a revitalised night time economy, with creative arts, music and food trails drawing people to regional areas, prolonging their stays, and capturing the globe’s attention. Let’s put the NT on the map as the place to study, explore and experience.”

The first ever Creative Industries Strategy launched in June, and is the foundation document to drive growth and develop sustainability within the sector by setting goals, creating action plans and defining measurements of success.

With such a diverse make up consisting of 12 specific segments,

City of Palmerston’s Creative Palmerston initiative has teamed up with Tactile Arts to present a huge creative workshop program, packed to the brim with creative activities for all. Over the next couple of months, you’re invited to Palmerston to get crafty – but get in quick and book online, as spots are limited!

AT DURACK HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CENTRE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au

Disk Earrings with Debra Senjuschenko

WHEN WED 12 AUG | 5.30-7.30PM

COST $40

Wire Wrapping with Debra Senjuschenko

WHEN THU 20 AUG | 10AM-2PM

COST $48

Block Printing Textiles - Beginners with Janie Andrews

WHEN EVERY TUE, 25 AUG – 8 SEP | 5.30-7.30PM

COST $75, 3-WEEK WORKSHOP

Painting For Beginners with Betty Franklin

WHEN EVERY THU, 27 AUG – 22 OCT | 5.30-8.30PM

COST $195, 8-WEEK WORKSHOP

Gemstone Jewellery & Craft with Frances Ricketts

WHEN THU 27 AUG & THU 3 SEP | 10AM-3PM

COST $95, 2-DAY WORKSHOP

Polymer Clay Jewellery Making Disc Necklace with Cheryl Young

WHEN SAT 29 AUG, SAT 12 & 26 SEP, SAT 10 OCT | 9.30AM-12.30PM

COST $105, 4-SESSION WORKSHOP

Sterling Silver Shaggy Earrings with Debra Senjuschenko

WHEN SAT 29 AUG | 1-3PM

COST $40

Sampler Macrame Wall Hanging with Debra Senjuschenko

WHEN SUN 30 AUG | 10AM-4PM

COST $50

the Creative Industries share the story of the Territory across a range of mediums. They showcase our greatest assets on the world stage and encourage visitation through their talent, culture and creativity, that collectively adds significant value to our economy.

Employing almost 2400 Territorians and contributing approximately $735 million in revenue through direct and indirect activities, the Creative Industries are a key economic driver. Sean Pardy, Executive Director at Brown’s Mart Theatre, says the Creative Industries represents more than jobs and money.

“Arts and culture are an integral part of our human existence. The Creative Industries tells the story of this place – they provide a window into the character of the NT,” he says.

“This election presents an opportunity for supporters of the arts to let the candidates know how important the Creative Industries are to them… Ask what their party is doing to value the Creative Industries, how their policies will improve and build upon an industry that, not only generates thousands of jobs, but also creates the very fabric of the wonderful life we have here in the Territory. The Creative Industries permeate our everyday lives – this August, don’t let our politicians forget it.”

This feature is a collaboration between members of the Darwin Arts Managers' Network.

LISTINGS

Hand Building with Clay

In this three-week course, dive into various clay hand building techniques that support you to create your own beautiful and unique sculptures for the home. All materials supplied – just bring your creative self!

WHEN MON 10, 17 & 24 AUG 6.30-8.30PM AT DARWIN LANGUAGES CENTRE COST $225 | $202.50 SENIORS INFO adultshortcourses.com

Reboot Your Loot

Bargain hunters rejoice – this popular car boot sale is back! If your household items and clothing are no longer sparking joy in your life, head to Reboot Your Loot to find a home for your preloved stuff. Registration for a stall is free (required the day before) and open to all households, local businesses, schools and community groups.

WHEN SAT 8 AUG | 8-11AM AT CIVIC CENTRE CAR PARK, PALMERSTON COST FREE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au

Yoga Bra Printing Workshop

Come along to this fun and unique workshop to learn the simple art of bleach printing. It’s suitable for anyone keen to make their own style or design on a yoga bra or crop top. Bring your friends, sister, mother or daughter for a fun Sunday morning at Ginger Pink. Materials supplied.

WHEN SUN 9 AUG | 10.30AM-12PM AT GINGER PINK, CAVENAGH ST COST $30 INFO facebook.com/ gingerpinkdarwin

Clothes Swap Party

Bring up to three items of clothing you no longer love to swap that are in good condition, unstained and functional. A points system is used to grade the items –three points for designer, two points for vintage, and one point for all other good quality items. Grab a drink and bite to eat whilst the COOLmob team set up shop. Then let the swapping begin!

WHEN THU 20 AUG | 6-8PM AT LUCKY BAT COST GOLD COIN INFO coolmob.org

Malak Marketplace

Come and enjoy a friendly, relaxed vibe at this much-loved farmer’s market. Pack your bags with organic and spray free fruit and veggies,

pastured eggs, and grass-fed meat from local farmers. Tuck into a delicious feed as you enjoy the sounds of local performers and soak up the market atmosphere.

WHEN EVERY SAT | 4-9PM AT CHAMBERS CRESCENT, MALAK COST FREE INFO malakmarketplace.org.au

Malak Marketplace

Pop Up at the Botanic Gardens

Enjoy delicious food from top food stalls offering gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options, and chilled drinks and cocktails from Eva’s Botanic Gardens Café. Bring your own mats and relax to the sound of free live music from super talented local musicians. It’s the perfect way to spend a relaxing Friday – under the stars in Darwin’s most stunning tropical gardens!

WHEN FRI 21 AUG | 5-9PM

AT GEORGE BROWN BOTANIC GARDENS COST FREE INFO malakmarketplace.org.au

DARWIN WATERFRONT waterfront.nt.gov.au

Darwin Lions Mini Regatta

Head along to Darwin Waterfront for a fun day by the water for the Darwin Lions Mini Regatta. Festivities include children’s beach activities, a display of beer can boats in the Recreation Lagoon, live music, kids’ DJ, takeaway food offerings, and more!

WHEN SUN 2 AUG | 10AM-2PM COST FREE

Waterfront Beach Club

Kick back on a sun lounge with a chilled bev and bask in the tropical atmosphere, while indulging in some of Darwin’s tastiest food and drink offerings from Waterfront eateries. Think fresh street tacos, icy margaritas, crispy bao buns, summer poke bowls, icy pina coladas, and more. Yum!

WHEN DAILY | SUN-THU, 10AM-8PM | FRI & SAT, 10AM-9PM

COST FREE

Yoga Asana Class

WHEN EVERY SAT | 8-9AM COST FREE

Aqua Fitness in the Wave Lagoon

coolest way to burn calories.

One Mile Brewery Co. Beer & BBQ Lot Festival

The whole family's invited to celebrate six years of One Mile with local music, local food and local brews. The kids will have a blast with a jumping castle, face painting and performances from The Burning Circus. Locally-brewed beer and cider, a wood-fired barbeque, live entertainment and food stalls? That sounds like one heck of a birthday party!

WHEN SAT 1 AUG | 11AM-11PM

AT ONE MILE BREWERY CO., WINNELLIE COST FREE INFO onemilebrewery.com.au

Take a splash each Sunday morning with an aqua fitness class in the Wave Lagoon. A dedicated instructor guides you through a body conditioning, pool-based aerobic program.

WHEN EVERY SUN | 8.30-9.15AM COST $12 | $8 U15

FREE DARWIN FESTIVAL FUN! darwinfestival.org.au

Housewarming

Darwin Festival is here, so it’s time to party! The whole family’s invited to this special opening event with a Welcome to Country, live music and local performances in the gorgeous surrounds of Festival Park.

WHEN THU 6 AUG | 5PM AT FESTIVAL PARK

City of Darwin Teddy Bears’ Picnic

It’s time to get Ted ready for the biggest event on the teddy bear calendar... Enjoy a day picnicking with your cuddly friends and favourite humans at Festival Park with food, fun and games.

WHEN SUN 9 AUG | 9AM-12PM AT FESTIVAL PARK

DIY Scavenger Hunt

Join Team Fun for an audio scavenger hunt to get you out and about this Dry. Play the tracks and figure out the clues to discover all the items in the hunt. This fun online event runs every day of the Festival and is suitable for all ages, including the grown-ups!

WHEN THU 6 – SUN 16 AUG AT ONLINE

TACTILE ARTS tactilearts.org.au

Open Studio with Frances Ricketts

Visit Tactile Arts’ Artist in Residence, lapidarist Frances Ricketts, and learn about the process of cutting and polishing semi-precious stones of the NT. Bring a rock along and find out more about its geology, see how rocks are tumbled into precious looking polished stones, and learn all you need to know about getting started working with rocks. Gemstone specimens and fascinating rocks are also on display!

WHEN WED 5 & FRI 7 AUG | 9AM-2PM COST FREE

Silver Jewellery Making

During this six-week workshop with Marianne Eichenberg, students learn the basic techniques of silver jewellery making. Students can create simple pieces such as a ring, pendant, or a design of their own, using sterling silver. Suitable for beginners or students with prior knowledge.

WHEN EVERY MON, 17 AUG – 21 SEP 7PM-10PM COST $450 | $410 MEMB

LET’S DANCE

Intermediate Samba Classes

WHEN TUE 4 AUG | 6.30-7.30PM AT STUDIO 13, COCONUT GROVE COST $15 INFO facebook.com/ espiritodosamba

Movement Medicine

WHEN EVERY SUN (EXC. 2 AUG) 10-11.30AM AT NIGHTCLIFF COMMUNITY CENTRE COST $15 CASH INFO movement.magic @yahoo.com

Argentine Tango Practica

WHEN EVERY TUE | 7-9PM AT STUDIO 13, COCONUT GROVE COST $10, CASH ONLY INFO facebook.com/nthntango

Milonga: Tango Dance Party

WHEN FRI 28 AUG | 8-11PM AT COCONUT GROVE COMMUNITY HALL COST $10, CASH ONLY INFO facebook.com/nthntango

TICKETS

$20 - $45 per concert. Groups of 4+ receive a 20% discount BOOK NOW dso.org.au/buy-tickets

08 8980 3333

Presented by Darwin Symphony Orchestra and Darwin Entertainment Centre in association with Darwin Festival.

HENBURY onAralia

he northern suburb of Nightcliff has earned itself the reputation of being a hot spot for a good cuppa, with baristas and baked goods popping up in bricks and mortar shopfronts or on wheels along the foreshore. But at newest kid on the block, Henbury on Aralia, coffee is served with a side of something extra sweet.

Since May last year, the café has given Henbury School students with a range of disabilities the opportunity to connect with the public and gain experience in a hospitality setting, instilling a sense of achievement and enhancing self-esteem.

Henbury Senior Teacher Raylee Parker says opening the café, located next to Henbury’s Opportunity Knocks op shop, was a natural step forward.

“The café was created as an extension to our school-based work-training programs, and to develop the students’ work training skills in a real life setting,” she says.

“We have the campus-based café, called Café on Henbury, and also the Crewz'n Brew Coffee Trailer,

so this is an extension of that. It’s enabled more direct learning with retail, horticultural and barista skills, and also links really well to our op shop next door – we call it our Nightcliff learning precinct.”

Henbury School is revered for building community awareness in disability inclusion. Henbury on Aralia Manager Tahnee Badrock, also a qualified chef, says the café has had a wonderful effect on the students.

“It gives them a sense of responsibility but also a real sense of worthiness and purpose. They get to be part of a team that relies on them – on the weekends we’re really quite busy, so they need to be a bit more independent,” she says.

“I think the real benefit is that, while they get to do this at school, it’s their chance to do it in the community – real customers, real money, real orders. It can be scary and challenging for them at times, but it’s a great opportunity to help them improve and get them job ready.”

Students receive certified barista training at the school and the café program provides pathways to

FESTIVAL FEEDS

WHEN THU & FRI, 9.30AM-2PM SAT 9AM-1PM INFO facebook.com/ henburyonaralia

paid employment. On Saturdays, café and op shop workers are paid award wages, otherwise run as part of the school curriculum.

The café also includes a retail space with student-grown plants, student-created crafts, and chutneys and jams made from produce grown at the school. The menu is short but sweet and refreshed every term, with a range of fresh food options and treats to tantalise those tastebuds, including spinach and ricotta rolls with chutney and pumpkin, feta and rocket frittata. They’re also getting a name for their scones with jam and cream!

Tahnee says the community has welcomed the café with open arms.

“We are so busy sometimes, and it might take a bit longer to do things because we are a training café. The public are really open to it and I think the space feels inclusive, so it appeals to a diverse group of people because they feel comfortable.”

Next time you’re in the Nightcliff and in need of a coffee, scone or frittata, pay our friends at Henbury on Aralia a visit.

Cucina sotto le Stelle

This giant pizza oven on wheels is a true Darwin favourite, and Benjamin and his team are making the move from the Nightcliff foreshore to Festival Park this month to dish up hot discs of Italian deliciousness. Enjoy authentic wood-fired pizza, handmade from the finest local seafood and fresh produce.

INFO facebook.com/ cucinasottolestelle

Bamboo Lounge

If Taiwanese street food is your flavour – or you’d love to give it a try – Bamboo Lounge is where it’s at. They’re dishing up their take on traditional dishes, including gua bao – a mouth-watering Asian version of a taco, featuring a fluffy, light rice flour bun stuffed with meat or veggies and fresh herbs.

Yum!

INFO facebook.com/ bambooloungedarwin

Trampoline Gelato

From the team that brought you the Naughty 40 and Birthday Cake gelato flavours in 2019, Trampoline is back, serving up sweet, creamy cups of joy this Festival. It’s the perfect Dry season treat, best enjoyed under twinkling festoon lights with friends.

INFO facebook.com/ trampolinegelatodarwin

Damasquino Cafe and Restaurant

Delicious Syrian food is served with a smile, thanks to the Damasquino Family. This family biz has been dishing up Syrian fare in Damascus since 1949, and Darwin’s now spoilt with their delicious morsels. Tuck into a feed of authentic kibbeh, kebabs, shish tawook and salad.

INFO facebook.com/ damasquinoaustralia

The rich and diverse flavours of Thailand, India and Malaysia are infused on a plate of goodness at Darwin favourite, Hanuman. Enjoy hot and creamy curries, vegetables cooked to perfection and melt-inyour-mouth meats, served with regular suspects like rice and raita. Head along hungry and leave very, very satisfied.

INFO facebook.com/ hanumandarwin

Hanuman

SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

COASTS CHAMPIONS FOR OUR

Free film screening to celebrate the heroes of our Top End coasts

WINE AND DINE TIME

Top End food and wine aficionados rejoice! You’re invited to Hilton Darwin’s brand-new restaurant, PepperBerry, for a special Shaw + Smith wine and dine experience.

Shaw + Smith’s Sauvignon Blanc is a favourite drop of many a Top Ender, our Dry season weather the perfect accompaniment to a nice cool glass on a sunny afternoon. This month, discover more of the range from the popular Adelaide Hills winery, paired with four courses curated by Hilton Darwin’s Head Chef, Fiona Weir.

“The courses showcase the dishes and wines we offer in PepperBerry’s new à la carte menu. I was inspired to create dishes with native Australian ingredients, such as saltbush and wattle seed, when I volunteered at gala dinners hosted previously in Darwin with chefs Duncan Welgemoed and Andrew Fielke,” she says.

“My wonderful team also played a part in crafting the menu, featuring tandoori dishes and Asian flavours – it’s reflective of the melting pot of culture you find in Darwin.”

Delight your tastebuds to pan-fried local tandoori Jew fish with lemon myrtle beetroot relish and yoghurt vinaigrette – a dish that is the Head Chef’s favourite – paired with Pinot Noir. Enjoy a glass of Shiraz with slow-braised bush-spiced beef cheek with sweet potato puree, roasted baby carrot, herb salad and red wine jus.

As you feast, Shaw + Smith winemakers Michael Hill Smith and Martin Shaw chat through tasting notes, and the story behind this iconic Adelaide winery, in a series of short videos you can watch at your leisure.

“It’s not just one cuisine – it’s a bit of everything. On the restaurant menu, you’ll find dishes to appeal to lovers of pub fare and fine dining. It really caters for everyone.”

Book your spot at PepperBerry and treat yourself to a culinary feast for the senses.

Shaw + Smith Wine and Dine

WHEN FRI 7 & SAT 8, THU 13 – SAT 15 AUG | 7PM AT PEPPERBERRY RESTAURANT, HILTON DARWIN COST $129 INFO facebook.com/pepperberryrestaurant | darwintickets.com.au

A collection of short films showcasing the diversity of our coastal communities. Meet some of the stars, enjoy the sunset & a drink

Where: Darwin Ski Club, Conacher St Fannie Bay

When: Tues 4th August, 6pm for 6:30pm start

Bar and food available

FREE EVENT - book your ticket as places are limited: bit.ly/32gRu7M

It’s time for action to protect our coasts this NT Election topendcosts.org.au

Open every night

Deckchair Cinema is one of the most iconic cinemas in Australia. Nestled in the remnant rainforest below the cliffs right beside the harbour you can find beautiful tropical tranquility right in the heart of the city.

• Food served every night

• Licensed kiosk with local products

• Deckchairs and cushions provided

• Ethically run not-for-profit cinema

• Book online at deckchaircinema.com

Aisha Hayashi 4-5pm

Saysha Ham 5-7pm

©BlueBottle Films

©Katie Fuller

©Shutterstock ©Helen Orr

19-YEAR-OLD Andre Price-Quintner is this year’s Event Producer of the Sounds@Mindil program, where local young musos take to the stage to strum a tune for market goers at the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets.

We caught up with Andre for a chat about his exciting new role.

Tell us about your role at Sounds@Mindil?

Being Event Producer of Sounds@Mindil essentially means I can shape the gig how I like. I’m responsible for booking acts, working out logistics of the event, as well as promotion and marketing. You could pretty much say I’m the big boss and every decision comes through me. It feels empowering to have big responsibilities at such a young age!

Youth Profile

Andre Price-Quint ner

We hear you landed the gig after participating in LAUNCH Darwin’s emerging producer program –what was that experience like?

I loved that experience! I started off in that program in 2018 with a whole bunch of other young emerging producers. It was called Sounds@Sunset – a monthly event down at the Nightcliff foreshore.

Each producer had their own month where they were able to shape the event how they wanted. I learnt a lot from that program, with a lot of what I’ve learnt being transferred into Sounds@Mindil.

We featured you in the March edition for your comic abilities –did comedy come before producing or vice versa?

Well, seeing as I did Sounds@Sunset

in 2018, I’d say event producing came first, as I started stand-up comedy last year. However, I’ve always been interested in comedy and was more likely to go down the comedy route than producing. In saying that, I’ve loved every second of producing events – it’s fulfilling to see your hard work pay off and come together on the day.

Is producing events something you’re looking to pursue in future?

I’m definitely enjoying producing. But I’m still very interested in pursuing in a career in acting and going ‘down south’ to study acting. If acting doesn’t work out, I have my event producing experience to fall back on.

What would be your dream job and why?

Yes Way, Cosplay!

Cosplay literally means costume play, where participants use clothing and accessories to represent their favourite characters.

22-year-old Izzy Jarvis says her interest in cosplay started with her childhood.

LISTINGS

My dream job is to become a professional actor. I love how you can express yourself through a character and explore the deeper emotions within that character.

If you could attend any live or event in the world, what would it be?

As a massive EDM and house music fan, I’d love to attend Tomorrowland in Belgium. It’s one of the biggest electronic dance music events in the world, where the world’s top DJ’s and music producers perform. It’s definitely on my bucket list to attend!

Sounds@Mindil Volume #2

WHEN SUN 9 AUG | 4.15-7.45PM

AT MINDIL BEACH SUNSET MARKETS

COST FREE INFO launchdarwin.com.au

Skate Nights

Head to Jingili every second Wednesday for free music and skating at the park. Step aside midweek, make some time for yourself and meet other skaters – newbies and spectators welcome. These fun skate nights include anything on wheels such as skateboarders, skaters, BMX bikes and scooters. Boards and helmets available.

WHEN WED 5 & 19 AUG | 6-8PM AT JINGILI WATER GARDENS COST FREE INFO launchdarwin.com.au

Geek Squad

in Darwin where it’s smaller. I love gaining different skills and getting advice from others for different cosplay costumes.”

Creating the perfect cosplay costume is quite the art, with many factors to consider.

BLM

WHETHER YOU’RE NEW to cosplay or getting ready for your next con, the Cosplay Meet Up group at Casuarina Library is for you!

“I grew up on a lot of cartoons and comics, more with superheros and anime, and I just love dressing up as characters. It’s really fun,” she says.

“I think it’s good to get together with like-mined people, especially

“There are so many different characters to explore – especially when you’re on a budget and might not have the right skills yet. You make the best of what you have – there’s a lot of op shopping and bargain hunting involved!”

Head along to this special workshop to share your knowledge and expertise on costume making or get advice from fellow makers, with some tools and equipment supplied.

This is a relaxed opportunity to get creative, have fun and meet some new friends. All cosplayers and fans aged 15 years and over welcome!

Cosplay Meet Up

WHEN SAT 29 AUG | 9AM-12PM

AT CASUARINA LIBRARY

COST FREE INFO launchdarwin.com.au

If you’re aged 13-19 and have a love for all things geeky, from anime to gaming and everything in-between, then why not join Geek Squad? Spend an hour with likeminded peeps and make new friends.

WHEN EVERY THU | 3.30-4.30PM AT PALMERSTON LIBRARY COST FREE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au

Mission Australia Youth Survey  Australia’s largest online youth survey provides a platform for young people aged 15 to 19 to voice concerns about issues affecting them. Keep your eyes peeled for young vollies conducting surveys at Sounds@Mindil on Sun 2 Aug. Won’t be there? No problem! You can fill out the survey online.

WHEN CLOSES FRI 14 AUG INFO missionaustralia.com.au

The Pinnacle Foundation Scholarships

The Pinnacle Foundation provides educational scholarships, mentoring and opportunities for young LGBTIQ+ Australians to realise their full potential and overcome challenges arising from their identity. Young people aged 17-27 who are planning to study full-time to gain an educational or vocational qualification are invited to apply.

WHEN CLOSES TUE 15 SEP INFO thepinnaclefoundation.org

Deckchair CINEMA

JERVOIS ROAD, DARWIN WATERFRONT

La Belle Epoque

A man and his wife are married by law, but very little binds them together in a romantic sense. After they split, the husband takes the opportunity to go back in time by using the latest technology for the experience, but what happens when he chooses the day he met his wife? French with English subtitles.

WHEN WED 5, FRI 14 & THU 20 AUG

It Must Be Heaven

ES escapes from Palestine seeking an alternative homeland, only to find that Palestine is trailing behind him. From award-winning director Elia Suleiman, this comic saga explores identity, nationality and belonging, in which Suleiman asks the fundamental question – where is the place we can truly call home?

English, French and Arabic with English subtitles.

WHEN SAT 1 & THU 13 AUG

The Personal History of David Copperfield

The good-hearted David Copperfield is surrounded by kindness, wickedness, poverty and wealth, as he meets an array of remarkable characters in Victorian England. As David sets out to be a writer, in his quest for family, friendship, romance and status, the story of his life is the most seductive tale of all.

WHEN FRI 7 & TUE 18 AUG

Fundraiser Fun

Thanks again to our prize sponsors and everyone who bought a ticket to our fundraising screening of Jojo Rabbit at Deckchair Cinema. Our little not-for-profit organisation receives a small amount of funding each year, and about eight of the 10 editions we do each year is underpinned by our advertisers. It’s been a tough year, but we’ve felt our community rally behind us. We hope to continue to showcase the bounty of events, art and culture in the NT in the years to come. Thank you!

By Greg Dickson

Too Many Cheeky Dogs

DION BEASEY’S ICONIC art combined with Johanna Bell’s writing talent was a recipe for delight back in 2013 when Too Many Cheeky Dogs was published, quickly becaming one of NT’s best-loved picture books. This year, the Cheeky Dogs are back, but now in a new language: Kriol!

Bigismob Jigiwan Dog is the title of the Kriol edition of Too Many Cheeky Dogs – a collaboration between the original authors and publisher Allen & Unwin, and a Ngukurr-based Kriol education program called Meigim Kriol Strongbala (Make Kriol Strong).

The Kriol translation is the real deal. It is the first time a major publisher has released a commercial Indigenous language translation of an existing title. This move brings Indigenous languages into the literature translation industry that we see so commonly across the globe.

Locally though, Bigismob Jigiwan Dog is a huge win for Kriol speakers, of which there are around 20,000 across the NT and WA. With few resources in their own language, Kriol speakers have a new brilliantly illustrated and vibrant story they can enjoy reading in homes and classrooms.

Carol Robertson, one of the main translators in Ngukurr is proud of the end result.

“Im meigi yu eksaided det wi bin dum buk gada Kriol. Im meigim mi laigim mijel.” (It makes you excited that we did a book in Kriol. It makes me proud.)

The book’s translators worked further with Allen & Unwin to help make the book accessible for English speakers, too, with online resources – including an audio reading, pronunciation guide –and a 15-page teacher’s guide freely available on the Meigim Kriol Strongbala website.

Bigismob Jigiwan Dog is available now at various locations including The Bookstore Darwin, Red Kangaroo Books, Aboriginal Bush Traders, Top News Katherine and The Finch Café in Katherine.

Johanna Bell & Dion Beasley

Photos: Paz Tassone

By Anna Dowd

FLIC NICS

INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au

The Skin of Others

Featuring acclaimed actor Balang T. E Lewis in his final performance, The Skin of Others tells the extraordinary story of Aboriginal WWI soldier, Douglas Grant.

Grant was famous in his day as an intellectual, journalist, soldier, reader of Shakespeare and bagpipe player who could put on a fine Scottish accent.

Adopted when his parents were killed in a massacre in North Queensland, and raised in Sydney, his life went on to intersect with Adolf Hitler, Henry Lawson and other famous figures as he moved from Australia to Europe, and the UK and back.

Director Tom Murray first encountered Grant’s largely untold story in 2011 when researching the history

of Aboriginal soldiers in WWI. From there, the film was 10 years in the making.

“My aim was to question some of the foundational events described in popular national histories of Australia. I hoped to depict the role of Aboriginal people in WWI, and properly acknowledge the Frontier Wars.”

Lewis joining the project was pivotal, and in the course of their creative partnership, he became a guide into understanding these histories, weaving parts of his own life into the film.

“Balang T.E. Lewis is the heart and soul of this film,” says Murray.

“Even the title is a nod to him and to the fact than an actor must, in some way, enter the skin of others. In the film, we learn lots about Douglas Grant, but we also learn

about Balang – his acting process, his intellect, and his wonderful sense of humour and fun.”

Through the telling of Douglas Grant’s life, and through Lewis’ perspectives, Murray hopes to expose audiences to new ideas of thinking about Australia’s past and its future.

“Most of all, I would love it if people were able to consider Archie Roach’s invitation [in the film] to find a national meeting place, where we can all be authors of a transformative new story of coming-together," he says.

“Big hopes, I know, but Archie’s pretty compelling!”

WHEN MON 10 AUG | 7.30PM AT DECKCHAIR CINEMA COST $12-$16 INFO darwinfestival.org.au deckchaircinema.com

Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse

WHEN SAT 1 AUG | 7PM

DUST OFF YOUR PICNIC blanket and pack the snacks – City of Palmerston’s free outdoor movie program is back! Every Saturday night during the Dry, you’re invited to these free outdoor movie screenings at Goyder Square in Palmerston.

WHEN SAT 15 AUG | 7PM

Aladdin

WHEN SAT 8 AUG | 7PM

WHEN SAT 29 AUG | 7PM

Marley and MeInternational Dog Day Event WHEN SAT 22 AUG | 6PM

Short Film Festival Champions for our Coasts

IF YOU’RE PASSIONATE about keeping our Top End coasts healthy, this free short film festival is a must do, must see, must hear.

Held in the iconic seaside location of Darwin Ski Club, the space presents the perfect setting in which to discuss the issue, this collection of short films showcasing the diversity of our coastal communities.

With 74% of people in the greater Darwin region keen for the next NT Government to do more to protect our coasts, it’s a hot topic ahead of this month’s NT Election.

Director at Keep Top End Coasts

Healthy, Adele Pedder, says the issue is showcased through a series of short films created by passionate Territorians, fondly referred to as champions.

“We are honoured to bring these voices from across our Top End coast together into a one-night film festival here in Darwin. The stories are told from the heart and are lived experiences from this beautiful place we call home,” she says.

“There is a common thread – our coasts are at the heart of our Top

End lifestyle, but their health is under threat. Across the Territory, communities are seeing signs of decline – mangrove dieback, pollution, depleted fish stocks.”

Head along for a healthy discussion on Top End coasts, enjoy a feed and a signature Top End sunset, and hear directly from some of the filmmakers and film stars. But get in quick to book your ticket, as places are limited.

WHEN TUE 4 AUG | 6-8PM AT DARWIN SKI CLUB COST FREE INFO topendcoasts.org.au eventbrite.com.au

The Lego Movie

Storm Boy

PERFORMING ARTS

The

Final Front Ear

arm up your laughing gear for this rollicking new physical theatre comedy from The Royal National Theatre of Jingili.

Anna Dowd caught up with one of the stars, Nicky Fearn, for a chat.

For those who haven’t had the good fortune to take in a show by The Royal National Theatre of Jingili, who are you?

We are four – sometimes five when baby allows – professional

performers that enjoy creating fun physical comedy with little or no set and costumes. We play with physicality, extreme characters, and fabulous music and singing to create daft, yet strangely pertinent, worlds.

I hear the The Royal National Theatre of Jingili’s collective ethos is to create work that makes its members laugh – how do you achieve this?

We’ve worked together for a long time now, so we know each other’s

BEAM ME UP, KATE

innermost secrets – we can take the piss mercilessly, and play to each other’s strengths and sillinessessesss.

Brown’s Mart have been huge supporters, as has Artback NT for Territory-wide tours, so we can relax and create work that we find funny yet relevant in a contemporary world.

What are the origins of The Final Front Ear?

It was time to make a new show,

as we’ve been touring our previous shows – The Far King Ridiculous and Hillbilly Horror – around the Territory for some years, and the notion of outer space appealed to us.

There are so many excellent sci-fi films to pay homage to and mercilessly enjoy, plus we could pop in some current political issues and solve the world’s problems, climate change being one of them. Come and see our show for some insightful solutions!

Scenario: your friend treats you to a ticket to see a show by a local theatre group you haven’t heard of – what can you expect?

A belly load of laughs and a night out with friends at the first full theatre production this year!

Come celebrate at Brown’s Mart, and learn the secret of the delightful aliens who have all the answers...

YOU HAVE TO ADMIT – putting together a large-scale stage performance without being able to rehearse in the performance space presents quite the challenge, but that’s exactly what SLIDE Youth Dance Theatre has been able to do with their latest production.

The youth performance company returns to Darwin Entertainment Centre this month to present Beam Me up, Kate – a show involving 50 young artists and mentors, created by communication through Zoom.

Beam Me up, Kate follows 10 Gen Zs, who gather in a field of wildflowers in the aftermath of a global pandemic. They are 10 beautiful misfits, whose hearts need mending. Together, they gaze with hope towards space.

Through a series of incredibly unreal events, Kate and her friends discover the strength they each have within their own hearts, and with a little help from another galaxy, start rebuilding and

beginning again.

21-year-old Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) graduate Millie Hunt plays the title role, and has had her fair share of excitement over the past few months.

“I grew up in Darwin and danced with SLIDE since 2015 until I went to uni. After graduating last year, I moved briefly to Melbourne, but when COVID hit, my parents wanted me home,” she says.

“I feel very privileged to be here –even in the best of times it can be hard to get work in the performing arts, but returning home has meant I can work, dance and teach. It’s been amazing to be home and have the opportunity to do all of that up here, when things would absolutely be different if I were still in Melbourne.”

Although creating the production partially online has allowed the youth dance company to engage

professionals and mentors outside of Darwin – including renowned choreographers Natalie Allen and Olivia Hendry – there’s nothing quite like rehearsing and performing in the same physical space.

“Working over Zoom presents its technical glitches, but there’s something so special about live performance. We are so privileged we get to perform on stage and share a precious exchange with the audience,” Millie says.

“Growing up in Darwin, it often feels like you need to get out because it’s a small place, but it’s actually the most rewarding place to be because of opportunities we have up here.”

Head along to DEC to see this incredible production, presented by some of Darwin brightest young stars. In the flesh.

WHEN SAT 29 AUG | 10AM & 7PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $15-$25

WHEN TUE 4 – FRI 14 AUG (EXC. SUN & MON) , 6PM | SAT 15 AUG, 1.30PM & 6PM AT BROWN’S MART THEATRE COST $15-$35 INFO darwinfestival.org.au | brownsmart.com.au

By Anna Dowd

NORTH CENTRE

STEP BACKSTAGE AT Darwin Entertainment Centre’s Playhouse and immerse yourself in three new dynamic dance pieces, exploring the places dance comes from in our bodies.

Over three separate works – a solo, a duet and a trio – North of Centre showcases the energies of NT dance, from the deserts of Central Australia to the tropics of South East Asia.

Artistic Producer Tim Newth of Tracks Dance says the works are tied together by themes of orientation to place, and how that manifests in movement.

“In the first solo, we see dancer Kelly Beneforti who grew up in Darwin. The seasons we have here, the climate, all that sits in her body

of

and meets the techniques she’s been trained in,” he says.

“In the same way you can be in nature and see a tree and be in awe of that, witnessing dance like this piece can be exquisitely beautiful.”

Similarly, Desak Putu Warti brings her life as a Balinese woman in the second piece, with training from a very young age.

“When Putu dances, she dances with 50 years of Balinese dance in her body. Coming from that place, she brings her whole life into the moment you experience watching her.”

Dancing with Jocelyn Tribe who grew up in Australia – now a student of Putu’s – the duet uses contemporary movement and an electronic

and instrumental score influenced by Balinese culture.

The final work by Alice Springs’ GUTS Dance takes a playful turn, drawing on the dancers’ interest in the energies of a group of people in a room.

“From the moment they see the audience in the foyer, they explore the dance in their own bodies at the same time as putting out feelers for what’s in the audience. Together, these three works make a truly diverse collection from the Northern Territory.”

WHEN TUE 11- THU 13 AUG 6PM & 7.30PM AT THE PLAYHOUSE, DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $21-$25 INFO darwinfestival.org.au

COMICS ' CORNER

SHOWCASING TOP END COMICS AND LOCAL STAND-UP PERFORMERS

SHALOM KAA IS A well-known force in the Top End entertainment scene, regularly gracing the stage as an actor or belting out a tune or two with Darwin Chorale. Now, the seasoned performer can add another feather to his cap as a comedian.

Will Crawford caught up with the talented Top Ender for a chat.

How did you go during the lockdown period?

To be honest, I’ve never had a better excuse to do nothing! I de-cluttered the house, scanned important documents, took old technology to the recycling stations and discovered Shark Tank!

Did you manage to perform any cyber gigs during isolation?

I was proud to present the first two online Darwin gigs – it’s a big challenge to do comedy to no one! Well, except the crew, who were fabulous.

What were some of the coolest

things you saw online during lockdown?

The coolest thing really was the sense of mateship that came through the online performances, from the crowd funding to the cool comments received during the performances.

I’ve heard on the grapevine you’ve been anointed as MC/host of the Top End Comedy’s comedy panel show, 8 Out of 10 Crocs. What can we expect from that?

So, yes, I ‘m happy to take up the reins as the new host and revamped show that the team is still discussing. The cool thing will be who we’ll see as guest panellists – it could be anyone!

Tell us how you got into stand up!

I suffer from acute FOMO and I felt like I was missing out. That’s it really!

You’re an experienced actor and singer, but what was your first stand up gig like?

Daunting and liberating. As an actor

and singer, those are comfort zones, and you can employ much of the same stagecraft. What I’ve found in comedy is that you have to be even more vulnerable. It’s not about interpreting someone else’s text or lyrics, it's all you. I’ve never felt more personally creative.

Where can Top End audiences see you in action?

Planning for 8 out of 10 Crocs is in progress and my work with True Colours Chorus has just resumed. Excitingly, Season 3 of The Seen NT is about to resume on Facebook and IGTV.

What comedians do you love and admire?

Urzila Carlson is a top fave for me; I’m a sucker for a kiwi/South African accent. And the fabulous Tom Allen, one for all bullied gay boys! But my comedic idol is Barry Humphries aka Dame Edna.

Now that’s clever comedy!

WORKSHOPS FOR KIDS

Upcoming Events

Lions Mini Regatta

Sunday 2 August 2020

10am to 2pm | Free Festivities will include children’s beach activities, beercan boats on display in the Recreation Lagoon, live music, kids’ DJ, takeaway food offerings and more!

Waterfront Beach Club

Everyday in August 2020 | Free Soak up the sun, sea and sand with good food, day beds and drinks in resort style. Chilled lounge and house tunes will feature everyday from 10am. Indulge in some of Darwin’s tastiest street tacos, icy margaritas, crispy bao buns, summer poke bowls and sunny pina coladas, all from your sun lounge!

Aqua Fitness

Every Sunday in the Wave Lagoon

8:30am to 9:15am

Get water active with weekly aqua fitness classes. $12 for adults and $8 for children which includes all day entry to the Wave Lagoon.

Yoga Asana

Every Saturday from April to October 8am | Free

A qualified yoga instructor will guide you through a gentle 1 hour session of yoga asana, breath work and meditation suited to all levels of experience including beginners. Patrons will need to provide their own yoga mat for the class.

waterfront.nt.gov.au

8941 2651

Kuya JAMES

James Mangohig has been spinning his original tunes in the Top End for years. This month, as part of the DF20 Homegrown program, he’s launching his highly anticipated debut album, under his new pseudo Kuya James.

We caught up with the local producer and DJ for a chat!

Congratulations on your new album, ISA. We can’t wait to hear some tunes at the Pinoy Street Party! Tell us about it.

Isa means ‘one’ in Tagalog, as it’s my debut album. The street party is a first listen of the record for my hometown, but even more than that, it’s a celebration of some of the amazing artists we have in this town – some that people haven’t heard of yet. May the force of 7,000 islands be with you!

You demonstrate great pride in your Filipino culture – what role has music played in recognising your roots?

I didn’t really connect with a tightknit Filipino community in Australia until I was about 14-years-old. Before that, I had loved our trips back to Tatay’s (father’s) village over the years, but it wasn’t until Tatay started a church here in Darwin that I was surrounded by more Filipinos, including musicians.

The love of music connects me to

Metamorphosis

THE DARWIN SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA (DSO) returns to The Playhouse at Darwin Entertainment Centre (DEC) to present Metamorphosis – two vibrant and engaging chamber music concerts presented over two days as part of the 2020 Darwin Festival.

Creatives around the world have had to revisit and adapt to new ways of presenting their craft in 2020. The appropriately titled Metamorphosis concert program is reflective of the DSO’s need to shift and readjust during this time, transforming their regular largescale concerts into another format, these performances capturing the unique energy and intimacy of chamber music.

Metamorphosis features works by Mozart, Bach and Shostakovich, as

well as Richard Strauss’s ‘Metamorphosen’ for 23 strings. The second of the two concerts features the world premiere of renowned Darwin composer Cathy Applegate’s ‘Conversations about the Impossible’, inspired by local artist Kate Eagle’s surreal painting of a fox and a mermaid having a serious yarn on a verandah. Applegate has responded to this artwork by creating a quirky musical conversation in which ideas and gestures are discussed amongst five players.

The DSO’s return to the Darwin Entertainment Centre stage – for the second time in 2020 – is more exciting news. The Orchestra returned to its original home after seven years in March, and managed just one concert before live performances were brought to a grinding halt.

my roots because I love finding out the history and the way things develop, and also people’s use of music to express themselves and reflect on their surroundings.

You were raised in Darwin by a Filipino father and Dutch mother –how important is your connection to culture?

For me, personally, it’s so important as it gives me tools to navigate a pretty weird society that has a lot wrong with it. Connecting with culture feels grounding but also challenging as culture evolves –some people are okay with that, whilst others prefer to keep things traditional.

I can only learn from others and see what feels right to me, but I am forever grateful to my parents for making sure our house growing up had influences from both my Filipino and Dutch roots.

Territory folks know you as James Mangohig and one half of Sietta with Caiti Baker – tell us about Kuya James. When I considered doing a solo record, I sought to find a name that represented me as an artist in 2020 and where I’m at in my career. I looked to my community and the word a lot of people have called me over the years is kuya, which means ‘older brother’ in my father’s language. The name just felt right.

Also, one of my biggest musical influences was DJ Kuya, who sadly passed in 2018.

A street party for your album launch – this is the stuff dreams are made of! Was it always the vision to unleash ISA to the world at a street party?

I had previously planned a trip across the Philippines and Taiwan to finish my album, but then the virus stuff happened and the album suddenly became a very local affair.

This also changed how I spent my time here in Darwin this year, connecting more with the local community and discovering some hidden gems that the audience will meet at the Pinoy Street Party. I don’t take it lightly how lucky we are to even be having a festival.

What does 2020 vision look like for Kuya James?

Dropping my debut album ISA. I have a new single coming out this month featuring label mate Stevie Jean, and then another single after that which is a love letter to Darwin called ‘Rewind Our Love’.

I can’t wait for people to wrap their ears around the whole record.

Kuya James’ Pinoy Street Party

WHEN FRI 14 AUG | 8PM AT SUNSET STAGE, FESTIVAL PARK COST $26-$30 INFO facebook.com/ kuyajamesmusic darwinfestival.org.au

Despite the stop-start nature of 2020, DSO General Manager Kate Stephens says the players are again keen to return.

“Returning to Darwin Entertainment Centre is an exciting move for us. It’s great to be back in a dedicated performing arts space that can really enhance DSO’s sound," she says.

“We are really delighted that Darwin Entertainment Centre have invested in brand new acoustic sound shells, which will make a big difference and will allow the beautiful music we play to resonate and fill the space.”

Don’t miss your chance to see some of Darwin’s finest musicians perform at DEC for DF20 Homegrown.

Photo: Jett Street

Settle Down Sisters

THE SETTLE DOWN SISTERS are a group of powerhouse women that have formed Darwin’s own all-female super group, featuring Caiti Baker, Stevie Jean, Serina Pech, Phoebe Wear, DJ Emily Rose and RachelRachel.

MusicNT sat down with Caiti Baker to find out more about the formidable new sisterhood.

Tell us how Settle Down Sisters was formed!

The Settle Down Sisters are myself, Serina Pech and Stevie Jean. We are the artists signed to Settle Down

Records, and have spent a lot of time together over the last five years. Due to the global pandemic and our inability to tour, we’ve all been home and been able to collaborate more and sing together.

When the opportunity to put on a group Festival show presented itself, we expanded our Settle Down Sisters squad to form the family that we have now. We all come from very different backgrounds, musically and culturally, but we bond through music, singing, food and laughter.

Your Darwin Festival show description emphasises the empowerment of females. Why is this important to you?

Our aim is to sing together and enjoy each other’s company. Supporting and empowering each other is a natural byproduct of that experience. I’m great believer in breaking the unhealthy cycle of toxic competitiveness amongst any artists in the music industry. Music is art. Art is subjective. The only competition we encourage is with ourselves to improve the standard of quality in our art.

Do you think female empowerment is something the wider music industry needs to embrace? If there’s something to embrace, it’s the dismantling of the current overarching non-inclusive culture, that is a reflection of the greater patriarchal society.

I think it’s slowly changing and I hope to see some restructuring when a “new normal” evolves, post-COVID. The music industry needs to embrace all voices. There is room for everyone.

Streets of Darwin

original material is an impressive snapshot of the depth and variety in the Darwin music scene.

From opening for Kaiit in the 2018 Darwin Festival, to selling out your own show in 2020, what’s next for the Sisters?

A whole lot of writing, recording, creativity and laughter! With no certainty of the future, we are taking advantage of the time that we all have together to make awesome art and grow our community here in Darwin.

We plan on making our mark a lot deeper here in the NT – there’s so much untapped talent. Watch this space!

By Anna Dowd

The Festival has rallied Darwin’s most talented musicians to each write a song about D-Town for one huge celebratory closing concert on the Sunset Stage.

From inner city Darwin and across the Berrimah line, Caiti Baker, Arran Barker, Broadwing, Tracey Bunn, Ben Evolent, Mandy Garling, David Garnham and Stevie Jean have created the ultimate, original mixed-tape about the place we call home.

Musical Director Ben Allen, aka Broadwing, says the line-up and

“We’ve always punched above our weight considering our small population and the occasional barricade of our remoteness, but the music scene feels particularly vibrant at the moment.”

From intimate, stripped back solo performances to full band arrangements, the night offers up a full palette of styles and points of view from songwriters who grew up in Darwin to more recent arrivals, like Allen himself.

“I think I’ll find this part of the world endlessly inspiring in much

the same way that Alice Springs was before I came up here. The concept of the show is simple enough on the surface but perfectly brings the local focus of this year’s Festival to its logical conclusion.”

As well as originals penned for the Festival’s finale, each singer performs a cover from the Aussie cannon on the theme of home, backed by a house band.

Allen says it’s fair to say the night will be as unique as it is original.

“You’ll hear songs that were purpose-built for the night, performed by some pretty formidable talent!”

THE EPIC LOCAL LOVE-IN that is the 2020 Darwin Festival has a new live soundtrack.

Settle

L-R: Stevie Jean, Serina Pech, Phoebe Wear and Caiti Baker

Photo: Jett Street

By Zoya Godoroja-Prieckaerts

GIG guide

OTL's

and essential guide to live music in the Top End.

To find out more, head to offtheleash.net.au

/offtheleashmag @OTLmag #OTLmag

Sanctuary Sessions

Round up your crew, roll out the picnic blanket, grab some nibbles and head to Sanctuary Lakes for a Dry season evening of live local music. This month features the talents of Aisha Hayashi and Saysha Ham.

WHEN SAT 15 AUG | 4-7PM

AT SANCTUARY LAKES COST FREE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au

Lunch on the Lawn

Grab a bite to eat, pack a picnic rug and kick back on the front lawns of the Tourism Top End info centre with some free live local music with your lunch!

WHEN EVERY WED | 12-1PM

AT TOURISM TOP END LAWN COST FREE INFO facebook.com/ lunchonthelawn

Live Music at Hotel Darwin

Catch live music from Glen Forner every Friday night and Matt Hellak every Saturday night in Hotel Darwin’s Beer Garden.

WHEN EVERY FRI, 6-9PM | EVERY SAT, 6-10PM

AT HOTEL DARWIN COST FREE

LUCKY BAT CAFÉ & PIZZERIA facebook.com/luckybatcafe

Workhorse and The So-Called Friends

Adelaide band Workhorse has made tracks to Darwin town for their first and only Top End gig. Riding shotgun on the night are their friends from the swamplands, The So-Called Friends.

WHEN SAT 8 AUG | 8.30PM COST $10

Big Community Sing!

Alice Cotton Residency

Join Alice Cotton for a set of live original music, before belting out a tune or two with this big, community sing-along – it’s good fun and a

DOWN The Track

HAPPENINGS IN THE RED CENTRE

National Indigenous Music Awards

This year, Australia’s biggest virtual celebration of Australian First Nations talent is broadcast across TV, radio and online. Host TV broadcaster NITV joins forces with radio and online partners to create a unique presentation live from Darwin, Larrakia Country, and locations across Australia. Enjoy iconic artist performances and of course the presentation of 2020’s NIMAs, acknowledging success and excellence from across the country.

WHEN SAT 8 AUG | 7PM INFO nima.musicnt.com.au | darwinfestival.org.au

great way to connect with others.

WHEN THU 20 AUG | 7.30-9.30PM COST FREE

DARWIN WATERFRONT waterfront.nt.gov.au

Live Music at Stokes Hill Wharf

Enjoy the sounds of a diverse mix of local artists as you dine alfresco, overlooking the picturesque scenes of Darwin Harbour. Bliss.

WHEN EVERY SUN & WED | 6-9PM AT STOKES HILL WHARF COST FREE

Sunday’s Live at The Lagoon

Treat your ears to the acoustic sounds of different local musicians each week.

WHEN EVERY SUN | 12-4PM AT DARWIN WATERFRONT COST FREE

DARWIN FESTIVAL darwinfestival.org.au

Bamboo Bandstand

Local musos take to the Bamboo Bandstand every night of DF20 Homegrown, providing your soundtrack to the Dry. Bliss!

WHEN THU 6 - SUN 16 AUG 6PM, 6.30PM OR 7PM

AT BAMBOO BANDSTAND, FESTIVAL PARK

COST FREE INFO darwinfestival.org.au

Yilila + Ripple Effect Band

WHEN FRI 7 AUG | 8PM

AT SUNSET STAGE, FESTIVAL PARK COST $26-$30

NIMAs Screening Party

Head along to Deckchair Cinema, as Australia's Indigenous music stars light up the big screen.

WHEN SAT 8 AUG | 6.30PM

AT DECKCHAIR CINEMA COST GOLD COIN INFO nima.musicnt.com.au darwinfestival.org.au

Shellie Morris & Guests

WHEN WED 12 AUG | 8PM AT SUNSET STAGE, FESTIVAL PARK COST $26-$30

Tutup Mulut - Malam (Night)

WHEN THU 13 AUG | 11PM AT SUNSET STAGE, FESTIVAL PARK COST FREE

Club Awi

WHEN FRI 7 & 14, SAT 8 & 15 AUG 10PM AT SUNSET STAGE, FESTIVAL PARK COST $5

Arafura Wind Ensemble –Distanced Duets

WHEN MON 10 – FRI 14 AUG | 6PM AT PRIVATE HOMES COST $26-$30

JAM NIGHTS AND OPEN MIC

Enjoy a couple of cold drinks and embrace the atmosphere of local live music at the Pint Club. Want to belt out a ditty or two? You can!

WHEN SUN 2 AUG | 2-5PM AT PINT CLUB, MARRARA COST GOLD COIN DONATION INFO facebook.com/ firstsundayblues

Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals WHEN EVERY TUE | 7-9PM AT DARWIN CITY BRASS BAND COST $20 ANNUAL INFO darwincitybrassband.org.au

Jam Nights WHEN EVERY TUE | 9PM AT NIRVANA COST FREE INFO nirvanadarwin.com.au

Last Sunday Jam

WHEN SUN 30 AUG | 3-6PM AT DINAH BEACH YACHT CLUB COST FREE INFO facebook.com/dbcya

AMONGST A CHAOTIC YEAR, August in the Centre presents a chance to reflect on time, space and place.

We dive in on the first with a solely local, makers-focused market, featuring handmade jewellery, ceramics, clothes, specialty foods and more. The Watch This Space Mini Market (which, to be honest, isn’t all that mini anymore!) started off as a lawn sale back in 2016.

This year, the grassroots organisation is prioritising those who are slow makers – it’s no longer just about second-hand clothes, but about valuing creatives in the community.

The Arid Lands Environment Centre’s annual desertSMART EcoFair brings Centralians and visitors together to reflect on the here and now, what and who surrounds us, and our place amongst this.

With the moto ‘Science, Sustainability, Community’ the fair is an accessible event using creativity to welcome, entertain and inform.

The program includes Costa Georgiadis from Gardening Australia, a movie night featuring a series of films by the illustrious Dave Nixon, live music by adored Jingili musician Stuart Nugget, a plant sale, workshops and more.

There’s also a public talk on climate change. With a stellar panel featuring First Nations speakers from Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, the discussion focuses on the impacts of climate change on First Nations people in Central Australia. A pertinent topic, to say the least. There’s no doubt the Eco Fair will be a stimulating, action-packed couple of days, not to be missed.

On a broader scale, artist Suzi Lyon is thinking about our place on this planet in her solo exhibition, Travels on a Distant Star. Primarily charcoal drawings, each work in the show was created in response to the sense of being in an enormous universe, contemplating time and space. One wall-sized work depicts a stormy landscape, which Lyon started after the bushfires where she witnessed a huge storm filling the sky.

“It felt so poignant at the time, just after these fires had taken over our land and skies… the scale of the drawing is reflective of how massive and overwhelming [climate change] is,” she says.

While some works are monumental in size, others are small and intimate, each one giving an insight into a moment of the artist’s life.

“Narrative is an important part of art-making … I’m just telling a few stories, whilst feeling the greatness of everything around us and knowing that we’re in it”.

With these inspiring events and more this month, the Centre sure feels like a wonderful place to be.

WTS Mini Market

WHEN SAT 1 AUG | 10AM-2PM AT WATCH THIS SPACE COST GOLD COIN DONATION INFO wts.org.au

desertSMART EcoFair

WHEN FRI 7 – SUN 9 AUG AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS INFO alec.org.au

Travels on a Distant Star

WHEN FRI 7 – SUN 23 AUG OPENING FRI 7 AUG, 6PM AT WATCH THIS SPACE INFO wts.org.au

quick

Costa Georgiadis at the 2019 EcoFair