Testing Grounds invited me to document Trance Forms as it was performed and improvised at their Queen Victoria Market site in July. The exhibition followed a series of workshops and classes led by dancer and multidisciplinary artist Tony Yap and culminated in a well received public demonstration of improvised butoh and trance dance.
distance and memory
We braved the weather at Two Sixty for Leitu Bonnici’s installation of a series of posters as a part of her ongoing project “Afa’afakasi”.
The posters are from a free online publication called Lomiga Tasi: Folasaga Lona Lua which Leitu made for Samoan Language Week. It is a basic introduction to the Samoan language and culture that playfully explores distance and memory through collaboration and digital filters.
Ollie from Testing Grounds was also there to move things along as the rain poured down and although the skies were drab our spirits were high as they brushed and pasted the beautiful posters around the site.
I’ve included a few more pics than I normally would in a blog post just to give you an idea of the various angles covered over the course of my documentation. There were also many more extra pics in the series I submitted to Leitu. Documentation is really valuable for a project like this as it is an unfolding and fleeting work that would be difficult to communicate after the fact. These images will be useful to Leitu in the future if she wishes to apply for grants or communicate how the work sat within the site. Without them, she might only have the graphics files of the actual posters and some quick snaps from her phone to show which may limit others’ perceptions of the project.
council st life drawing
I photographed this still life drop-in session hosted by Council St Life Drawing as part of Testing Grounds Summer Emporium. Zoe from Council St set up an incredibly long table of gloriousness, a healthy supply of art supplies and an invitation to any passers-by to join in a FREE drawing session.
Keeping in mind food waste (an ongoing concern for Zoe) she curated the scene using food that was either being thrown out, squashed, brown or heavily discounted on its last legs. I loved the slow meandering in the way people joined in, let themselves yield to the process and participate in some great discussion.
In Zoe’s words, it was “…an ode to summer nights; sharing meals with friends outside and enjoying the last of the seasonal produce, lazily playing cards, reading books and happily slurping the last drops of a shared wine. There were so many great conversations over the course of the day about how we interact with food and how in turn this connects us to our bodies, all the way from market visits to just eating toast in friend’s kitchens. This still-life scene is about my love of hosting, sharing food, eating and making food, and of course - art. It’s as always just about putting your pen to the page and letting go of expectations, knowing that like all these veggies - being wonky and a lil weird looking - is always more interesting (that goes for both ya body and your drawings).”
melbourne in motion
As part of Testing Ground’s Summer emporium Melbourne in Motion set up an indoor parkour course. Their approach to parkour is that it’s for everybody! You can’t be too young or too old, too unfit, too nervous, too anything! It’s all about finding the best way to move for you. Run by diverse people (including women, LGBTQIA+, and people of colour), diversity and inclusivity are their mantras. They value community and helping minorities have space and find confidence and believe that there's more to training than who can jump the furthest, or do the most push-ups. They are super interested in continually finding new and interesting ways to train, to be challenged, and grow as movement practitioners, but also as humans. They're passionate about making spaces for people of all kinds in movement, especially people who are otherwise marginalised or a minority.
Kel and John hosted the event and it was really fun watching it unfold. I loved the way people stood back and observed and then jumped into the flow when it felt right on their own terms lifted up by a gently supportive environment.
