A TPA Climate Commission
In December 2011 across North Melbourne and West Melbourne an international art project ( A Climate Commission) was commissioned by TippingPoint Australia and the City of Melbourne – a collaboration between choreographer Lucy Guerin and three households who created new dance works performed by them in their own homes.
Home Art is a collaboration between artists and households who accepted the invitation to have a work of art made for them and performed by them in their own homes. By being local in its creation and presentation and with support from the City of Melbourne’s sustainability team to measure and reduce the emissions of some of the participants houses and work places, the project models a new way of making low impact art that offers a chance for neighbours to see each other in a new light.
An interview with the creators of Home Art 2011.
Lucy Guerin and Janet and Dorothy
House 1 - Performance
House 1 - Interview
Janet Llewellyn
Raised on a farm in country Victoria and now living in a major city 2kms from the GPO. What a contrast! I moved from the country to the city as a young woman because that’s where the work was. I adapted to city life and stayed. Work years have been spent in advertising, the ubiquitous ‘home duties’ and as a self-employed business-woman. The vicissitudes of life have given me the experiences of travel, the opportunity to explore my creative self, and a rich diversity of experience with others. My country life lives on in my house, on the perimeter of the central business district. It embraces aspects of farm living with a water tank, a vegetable garden, a solar hot water system, and a worm farm! Newly renovated to enable me to live independently for as long as possible her house has been fashioned on environmentally sustainable principles. I read, I dance,I cycle, I go to the cinema and enjoy my life to its fullest possibilities.
Dorothy Robinson
I have lived in North and West Melbourne since 2006, when I moved back to the north side of the river and discovered a fabulously interesting and diverse community hiding so close to the city.I grew up in the country, went to teacher’s college in the country, and finally moved to Melbourne to study art in the mid seventies.Whilst artistic expression has been a vital part of my life, I only really began to think of myself as an artist in the last 15 years or so. My journey as an artist has seen me as a teacher – of art with children who already know that it is all about them; a community artist working with elderly people who didn’t think they could make art but did, and others in the community who found the ‘artist within’; becoming a parent of an artist, who always knew he was; and then after a couple of stints as a business owner, decided it was time for me to be the artist I always felt I was.Of course, life sometimes sends you ‘curve balls’ and I am now teaching again, but this time, children who don’t yet know that they too can be artists.
Lucy Guerin and Geetha and Aditi
House 2 - Performance
House 2 - Performance
Geetha Raju
I was born and grew up in Banaglore, India. I studied a Bachelor of Arts (History/Economics) at Maharani University in Banaglore. In true arranged marriage style, at only 21 yrs, I met my husband on my wedding day and moved to Australia to start my new life. I have spent my time in Australia working as a retail assistant at the family pharmacy as well as raising my two boys, Gautam and Prashant. I volunteer at charities Kinfolk Cafe and Secondbite. I have a strong interest in Indian classical dance, singing and cooking. Next year, I plan to launch a dining initiative which aims to bring amazing hidden home cooked dishes to restaurants in a effort to raise money for various charities.
Aditi Chetty
Hey, my name is Aditi Chetty, I’m 15 years old and I go to University High School. If I had to describe myself in a few words, I would say that I’m a fun loving and awesome person. Things I love doing include, eating, sleeping, going outdoors, playing the piano and reading books. When I grow up, I’m going to end up as a person who can hopefully make a difference to the world (then I can marry someone who’s handsome and rich and preferably a prince). Right now, if I could wish for anything in the entire world, I would probably wish for a dog. I chose to do this performance as it seemed like something fun, interesting and different to do. I really hope that all our practising will pay off in the final shows. I really can’t wait for next week, not only because of the performance, but also because I will be going overseas soon. So this is me in 200 words, hope you enjoy the dance, Love Aditi.
Lucy Guerin and Paul, Georgia and Ben
House 3 - Performance
House 3 - Interview
Georgia Friend
My name is Georgia. I am 26 years old, and I have lived in Melbourne for two years. I have spent many nights on the couch of the Queensberry St House, most recently over the last few weeks as I prepare to head overseas to spend time with loved ones in Canada. I am a social welfare worker at a residential facility and also a full-time student. I have had no dance experience other than bouncing around a pub to live music, which is something I wholeheartedly enjoy. I have had a tremendous time rehearsing and performing this piece. I have known Ben and Paul for a combined 10 years and while our friendships have been characterised by a great variety of activities, I believe that this is the first time we’ve lifted, kicked, posed, and synchronised in an official capacity. The dining area we used for this piece has been the backdrop to my friendship with Ben and Paul, and to the many comical, dramatic, and creative activities of all the house’s occupants. The experiencing of making the piece will stay with me… and I’m certain that after the performance there will be opportunities to spring an impromptu revival of it on many future unsuspecting dinner guests.
Ben Cook
Although I’m no stranger to the arts; I have taken quite the severe back-seat over the last few years. After completing a drama degree I decided to put that piece of paper to use…by folding it up, putting it in a suitcase and moving overseas. I spent the better part of 2 years living and working in Asia. Which, I pleasantly discovered was quite different from my home town.
The dining room has served me well over this time, letting me spread my uni assignments across its Laminex table and hold many friends in anticipation for my famous* dinners (*this definition is self-proclaimed). This is the room that is shut off from the rest of the house so anyone can play music on the stereo without annoying people in their rooms. It’s always a hive of activity in the evening as any number of people can be cooking and sharing a cheap red wine. In the summertime, the sun blazes in through the curved window, making it the happiest place to eat breakfast and plan long summer days. From this room you can see up on to the big party deck from where we have all annoyed the neighbours with our long nights of silliness. This year the deck will host its third orphans Christmas, almost a tradition now with its treasure hunt and its big ice bin full of beer. I love this house and this room in particular. It is where we all come together and bookend the day with debates, warmth, sharing, moaning, scheming and day dreaming.
Home Art 2011 Credits
Concept / Creative Producer – TippingPoint Australia: Angharad Wynne-Jones
Program Manager – Arts and Participation, City of Melbourne: Vicky Guglielmo
Production and Light: Bluebottle
Film maker: RhianHinkley
Photographer: Ponch Hawkes
Artists: Lucy Guerin (Lucy Guerin Inc), David Franzke
Household Participants: Janet and Dorothy; Geetha and Aditi; Paul, Georgia and Ben
Sound assistant: Adelle Mills
Producer assistant: Asha Bee Abraham
Sustainability consultancy: City of Melbourne Sustainability Team
Home Art 2011 Creative Biogs.
Lucy Guerin
Born in Adelaide, Australia, Lucy Guerin graduated from the Centre for Performing Arts in 1982 before joining the companies of Russell Dumas (Dance Exchange) and Nanette Hassall (Danceworks). She moved to New York in 1989 for seven years where she danced with Tere O’Connor Dance, the Bebe Miller Company and Sara Rudner and began to produce her first choreographic works. She returned to Australia in 1996 and worked as an independent artist, creating new dance works including Two Lies(1996) Robbery Waitress on Bail (1997), Heavy (1999) and The Ends of Things (2000). In 2002 she established Lucy Guerin Inc in Melbourne to support the development, creation and touring of new works with a focus on challenging and extending the concepts and practice of contemporary dance. Recent works include Structure and Sadness (2006), Corridor (2008), Untrained(2009) and Human Interest Story (2010). Guerin has toured her work extensively in Europe, Asia and North America as well as to most of Australia’s major festivals and venues. She has been commissioned by Chunky Move, Dance Works Rotterdam, Ricochet (UK ) and Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project (USA) among many others. Her awards include the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award , a New York Dance and Performance Award (a ‘Bessie’), several Green Room Awards, a Helpmann Award and an Australian Dance Award.
J. David Franzke
Sound designer for MTC; The Joy of Text, The Grenade, August: Osage County, Don Juan in Soho, Birthrights, The Recruit; Sydney Theatre Company , The Wonderful World of Dissocia(2009). Nominated for best sound design Sydney Theatre Awards 2009.
Venus and Adonis- nominated for best sound design Helpmann awards 2008,; The China Incident, The Pitch, Anna Tregloan’s BLACK, The Spook, Drink Pepsi Bitch, Babes in the Woods, The Odessey – nominated for best sound design Helpmann awards 2006. Drink Pepsi Bitch!, The Proscenium. For Ranter’s Theatre; Intimacy, Holiday. The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, Melbourne Festival 2009 and Anna Tregloan’s “Skin Flick”, for which he received a 2000 Green Room Award for outstanding contribution to design and technology in fringe theatre. ‘Cate Blanchett Portrait’ National Portrait Gallery – Canberra with David Rosetzky ‘Playing in Time’ Melbourne Symphony Orchestra collaboration with Corrections Victoria Music from the Melbourne assessment Prison. Producer/Composer.‘Static no. 11 (man running) by Daniel Crooks, (composer) Winner Basil Sellers Sports/Arts Prize 2008. David composed the soundtrack for the film “Acolytes” directed by Jon Hewitt, which premiered at the 2008 Melbourne international Film Festival and the film “X” which premiered at the 2011 Melbourne international Film Festival.
Rhian Hinkley
Rhian Hinckley (Home Art 2012 and 2011) is a filmmaker and new media artist based in Melbourne. In 2009 he formed Encyclopaedia of Animals with Christopher Brown and in 2010 they co-directed Urchin at The Arts Centre, Melbourne. Rhian has a longstanding relationship with Back to Back theatre, filming the Democratic Set, creating the animated component of Ganesh Versus The Third Reich 2011, Food Court 2008 and Soft 2002. He has produced a diverse body of solo and collaborative work that includes public art installations, web based artificial intelligence, theatre, computer software and short film. His film credits include Pornstar 2002, Buckstop 1997, Face of the West 2000 and Boz’n’Hok vs Theatre of Speed 2005 . Dance Credits include I could pretend the sky is water by Trevor Patrick 2011, Origami by BalletLab 2006 and Out of Light by Sandra Parker Dance 2009.
Angharad Wynne-Jones
Angharad Wynne-Jones ( Home Art 2012 and 2011) studied theatre at Dartington in the UK. In 1994 she became Director of the Performance Space in Sydney. In 1998 she (as Executive Producer) and Gideon Obarzanek established Chunky Move in Melbourne. Angharad joined Peter Sellars as Associate Director in the 2002 Adelaide Festival, and established an international independent production house, risingtideproductions in 2004. She was appointed Director of LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) 2005 – 2008 and completed a post grad diploma in cultural leadership at City University, London. She returned to Melbourne directing and curating the first Australian Theatre Forum in 2009. She has been on a number of Boards and Panels: Australia Council Hybrid, New Media and Dance Boards, Lucy Guerin Inc, Real Time, Snuff Puppets and Total Theatre (UK). Angharad is Director of TippingPoint Australia (www.tippingpointaustralia.com) and The Climate Commissions (www.homeartproject.org) energizing the cultural response to climate change. She is Creative Producer at Arts House, a contemporary performance centre (www.artshouse.com.au) – a City of Melbourne contemporary arts initiative.
Home Art – a short documentary – was screened at Federation Square Big Screen as part of the Sustainable Living Festival at 9pm on Saturday 18 February.
Home Art 2012 and Home Art 2011 are presented by the City of Melbourne Arts and Participation Program, supported by the City of Melbourne Sustainability team and in co-production with TippingPoint Australia as part of the Climate Commissions 2010 -- 2012.
Home Art 2011 – North Melbourne and West Melbourne.
Lucy Guerin (choreographer) collaborates with three households.