In the loop 20 Nov: quick picks

The last in the loop for the year and it’s actionpacked. As it’s so huge we’ve made artform sections for easy browsing. Dive in…

PERFORMANCE | DANCE | VISUAL/MEDIA ARTS | MUSIC | FILM

PERFORMANCE

This is Barbara Cleveland, Brown Council

photo Lucy Parakhina

This is Barbara Cleveland, Brown Council

You’re History: Performance Space 30th Birthday

The Performance Space birthday bash promises to be enormous, with multiple events every night for 10 days including new works by Tess de Quincey, Nigel Kellaway, Ros Crisp and Brown Council, compilation re-mixes from most Performance Space directors and the TeleVisions festival.
For all the info read our interviews with directors Bec Dean and Jeff Khan and Brown Council.
You’re History: Performance Space 30th Birthday, Carriageworks, 20 Nov 1 Dec; http://www.performancespace.com.au/

Mark Deans, Simon Laherty and Brian Tilley, Super Discount, Back to Back Theatre

photo Jeff Busby

Mark Deans, Simon Laherty and Brian Tilley, Super Discount, Back to Back Theatre

Super Discount, Back to Back, Malthouse

Following its Sydney Theatre Company premiere, Back to Back’s Super Discount is now in the middle of its Melbourne season at Malthouse. In RT117 Keith Gallasch wrote, “audition routines, debates, role playing…witty scripting and a strong focus on trust…all add up, delivering a satisfyingly complex and richly entertaining experience.”.
Back to Back Theatre, Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre, Super Discount, Merlyn Theatre, The Cooper’s Malthouse, 13 Nov-1 Dec; http://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/show-listing/super-discount/

Harry Reuben, Rachael Maza, Magdalena Blackley, Kylie Doomadgee, Beautiful One Day, Ilbijerri, version 1.0 & Belvoir

photo Heidrun Löhr

Harry Reuben, Rachael Maza, Magdalena Blackley, Kylie Doomadgee, Beautiful One Day, Ilbijerri, version 1.0 & Belvoir

Beautiful One Day, Ilbijerri Theatre Company, version 1.0, Arts House

After last year’s successful premiere season at Belvoir, Beautiful One Day has its Melbourne debut at the Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall. In his review in RT113 Keith Gallasch wrote, “This account…digs into the island’s history and adds a heightened Indigenous perspective side by side with verbatim recreations of pivotal moments in the unfolding tragedy.”
Beautiful One Day, Ilbijerri Theatre Company, version 1.0, Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall, 26 Nov-1 Dec; https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ArtsHouse/Program/Pages/BeautifulOneDay.aspx

Birthing Things in the Spirit: The Water Birth, David Capra

courtesy the artist

Birthing Things in the Spirit: The Water Birth, David Capra

Birthing Things in the Spirit: The Water Birth, David Capra, Campbelltown Arts Centre

David Capra is interested in “intercessions,” art experiences that initiate healing and spiritual enlightenment. Currently he’s working with the ladies from the over 50s aquatic group at Eagle Vale pool in Sydney’s southwest to create a “water birth of the spirit,” with some stylistic inspiration from Australia’s own inventor of synchronised swimming, Annette Kellerman and Hollywood’s Esther Williams. The results of the month-long exploration are open to the public.
Campbelltown Arts Centre: Birthing Things in the Spirit: The Water Birth, David Capra, Eagle Vale Central, Campbelltown (Aquatic Centre); 30 Nov, 6pm; http://www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/Dance

The Hayloft Project, Arden vs Arden

photo Sarah Walker

The Hayloft Project, Arden vs Arden

Arden vs Arden, The Hayloft Project

Melbourne indie theatre collective The Hayloft Project is about to relocate to Sydney but they’re having one last hurrah with their production Arden vs Arden. Directed by Benedict Hardie this adaptation of Arden of Faversham, an Elizabethan tale of bloody murder and betrayal, occurs in both a contemporary Australian and historical context, with some blurring along the way. (See our interview with Anne-Louise Sarks, collaborator with Hardie and Hayloft)
Darebin Arts Speakeasy presents The Hayloft Project’s?Arden v Arden?, 20 Nov-8 Dec, http://darebinarts.com.au/event/arden-v-arden-by-the-hayloft-project/

DANCE

Aorta, Stephanie Lake, Chunky Move

courtesy the company

Aorta, Stephanie Lake, Chunky Move

Aorta, Stephanie Lake, Chunky Move

It’s been a prolific year for Stephanie Lake with premieres of four major works including Dual in Dance Massive (see review and rt tv interview); Axial in Frontier Danceland, Singapore; A Small Prometheus in the Melbourne Festival (to be reviewed in RT118); and now Aorta for Chunky Move. This is Lake’s second commission for the Next Move program and sees her choreographing for three male dancers, exploring the body’s interior secrets, to a score and lighting system by Robin Fox.
Aorta, Stephanie Lake Chunky Move Studios, 22-30 Nov; http://www.chunkymove.com/Our-Works/Next-Move/AORTA.aspx

Nat Cursio's CRITNIC

Nat Cursio’s CRITNIC

courtesy the artist

Nat Cursio’s CRITNIC

CRITNIC, Nat Cursio

Nat Cursio’s latest venture combines a picnic with some stimulating critical chat about dance. It’s “similar to a book club, but instead of talking about books we’ve read, we’ll talk about dance performances we’ve seen” (press release). And while actually held inside, there’ll still be picnic rugs and snacks.
CRITNIC, Lucy Guerin Studio, 24 Nov 2pm; http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=67448

Ahilan Ratnamohan, SDS1

photo Heidrun Löhr

Ahilan Ratnamohan, SDS1

SDS1, Ahilan Ratnamohan, PICA

Following his well-received solo theatre work The Football Diaries, ex-professional soccer player now performer Ahilan Ratnamohan is presenting a solo dance work at PICA. SDS1 is inspired by the physicality of the game and its attendant issues of “efficiency versus artistry, result versus style, and the psyche of vulnerable warriors” (website).
SDS1, Ahilan Ratnamohan, PICA, 27-30 Nov, http://www.pica.org.au/view/SDS1/1753/

Ngalpun Mudth (Our Home), NAISDA Indigenous Dance Showcase

photo Branco Gaica

Ngalpun Mudth (Our Home), NAISDA Indigenous Dance Showcase

Forty dancers undertaking training at NAISDA will profile their achievements in an evening of works choreographed by nine professional choreographers including Vicki Van Hout, Sani Townson, Frances Rings and Gary Lang, along with two pieces by emerging student choreographers.
Ngalpun Mudth (Our Home), NAISDA Indigenous Dance Showcase, Carriageworks, 11-14 Dec; http://www.carriageworks.com.au/?page=Event&event=NAISDA-END-OF-YEAR-SHOW

VISUAL/MEDIA ARTS

Melbourne Now, NGV

The absolutely epic Melbourne Now is about to launch, featuring the work of over 400 artists exhibited across both sites of the National Gallery of Victoria. Special commissions include a new sound and light installation from Marco Fusinato; a video commission from Daniel Crooks focusing on Melbourne’s laneways; and an icing-covered share house constructed by the Hottham Street Ladies artist collective. Lucky it’s on for four months—it might just take that long to see everything.
Melbourne Now, NGV; 22 Nov – 23 March; http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/exhibitions/melbourne-now

Kate Murphy, Lift, 2013, single-channel HD video with sound

courtesy the artist

Kate Murphy, Lift, 2013, single-channel HD video with sound

Lift, Kate Murphy, Breenspace

Video artist Kate Murphy has a new work, Lift, soon to be exhibited at Breenspace. Inspired by her experiences visiting her father in an aged care facility, Lift places a dancer’s body in a mechanical patient lifting mechanism in a poignant exploration of the “relationship between the cognitive and the subconscious self, and the ‘dances’ we perform everyday” (press release).
Lift, Kate Murphy Breenspace, 29 Nov-21 Dec; http://www.breenspace.com/exhibitions/kate-murphy/katemurphy_lift_2013_still2.jpg.php

Ruth Walller, Dulle Griet (2013) acrylic on linen, Insight Radicals

courtesy the artist

Ruth Walller, Dulle Griet (2013) acrylic on linen, Insight Radicals

Insight Radicals: MCLEMOI Gallery

Tony Lloyd, Steve Lopes, Anna Madeleine, Natalie O’Connor, Peter Sharp and Ruth Waller have undertaken a year-long residency at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Melbourne. The results of their fascination with free radicals, in our bodies and materials, will be exhibited at MCLEMOI gallery, touring to Adelaide in 2014. Expect “luminous light media, sci-fi landscapes, sound activated paintings and water colour portraits” (press release).
Insight Radicals, 27 Nov-9 Dec; http://mclemoi.com/portfolio-view/insight-radicals/

Archana Hande artist talk, spaced

Spaced (formerly IASKA) offers opportunities for international and Australian artists to undertake in-depth residencies in regional areas of Western Australia culminating in a biennial exhibition (see RT108, http://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue108/10599). Visiting Indian artist Archana Hande will be presenting an artist talk at the spacedHub in Perth about her recent experiences in Laverton looking at “local histories and stories that trace existing contested terrains concerning tradition, trade and migration” (website).
Archana Hande artist talk, spacedHUB, Perth, 21 Nov; http://www.spaced.org.au/posts/news/

SOUND/MUSIC

Corridor, CACHE in POINT

courtesy the artists

Corridor, CACHE in POINT

The curators of Cache in Point, soprano Sonya Holowell and flautist Elia Bosshard, are keen to create new experiences for music audiences employing interdisciplinary collaborations to “break down the seeming barriers between audience and performer, music and non-music, and pre-composed and spontaneous music.” The second in their series takes place in a corridor and features compositions by Andrew Ford, Iannis Xenakis, Gyorgy Kurtag and Austin Buckett.
Corridor, CACHE in POINT; Level 3 Corridor, Robert Webster Building, UNSW, 29-30th Nov; http://www.cacheinpoint.com/#!upcoming/galleryPage

West Head Project & Peggy Glanville Hicks Address, New Music Network

The West Head Project revels in music making in alternative environments (initially bushland at West Head on Sydney’s north shore). This year the project profiles woodwind players Jim Denley and Rosalind Hall in a meeting of minds and reeds. The duo will perform in Melbourne at the unique Norla Dome inside the historical Mission To Seafarers building and in Sydney at architectural marvel, The Paddington Reservoir, designed by Tonkin, Zulaikha and Greer and landscape architects JMD Design. And don’t miss the annual Peggy Glanville Hicks Address delivered this year by Genevieve Lacy, also in both cities.
West Head Project, Norla Dome, Mission to Seaman, Melbourne, 27 Nov; Paddington Reservoir, Sydney, 1 Dec; Peggy Glanville Hicks Address, Sydney Conservatorium, 25 Nov; Federation Square, Melbourne, 27 Nov, http://www.newmusicnetwork.com.au/

Brigid Burke, seensound

courtesy the artists

Brigid Burke, seensound

seensound: visual/music, Loop Bar

Seensound, curated by Brigid Burke, is an ongoing series exploring visual music, the aesthetic translation of music into colour and light and vice versa. The next event features performances and screenings by Ros Bandt, Warren Burt, David Kim-Bolye, Elaine Thomazi Fritas/Johnathan F.Lee, Roger Alsop, Mark Pedersen and Burke herself.
seensound: visual/music , LOOP back room, Melbourne, 24 Nov; http://seensound.com

the NOW now 2014 Launch

In preparation for the always epic and enjoyable Now Now Festival in January (8-12), there’ll be the annual free program launch party featuring Robbie Avenaim & Martin Ng, Horse MacGyver, M.O.B., Lucas Abela and Pollen Trio. As always, much to enjoy and a little bit of everything for everyone.
Now Now 2014 Launch, The Red Rattler Theatre, 4 Dec; http://thenownow.net/

Mobile Radio, Big West Festival

Big West Festival, Footscray

Celebrating community and creativity in Melbourne’s western suburbs, the biennial Big West Festival is about to kick off. There are 65 events, many of them free, promising to be “radical & spectacular.” One of the feature programs is Mobile Radio, headed up by sound art duo Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey, in which the Mobile Radio will land in different locations in the area. People are invited to book a slot on air, which will be webcast and transmitted on 99.9MHz. The team has been conducting workshops with the community for the last month on how to present their ideas, and they’re ready to broadcast!
Big West Festival, Footscray, 22 Nov-1 Dec; http://www.bigwest.com.au/; http://www.mobileradiobigwest.com/

FILM

Dennis O’Rourke (1988), during the making of Cannibal Tours, released as free content with permission of Dennis O’Rourke, photo Chris Owen & Camerawork Pty Ltd

Dennis O’Rourke Memorial

In his obituary for documentary filmmaker Dennis O’Rourke in RT116, Dan Edwards wrote “Provocative, emotional and fiercely intelligent, O’Rourke was always worth listening to—and always worth watching. With his death on June 15, Australia lost one of its most incisive and imaginative documentarians.” (http://www.realtimearts.net/article/116/11250) To honour and celebrate O’Rourke’s life and work, Ozdox, the Australian Documentary Forum will be hosting an industry memorial at the Chauvel Cinema, Sydney.
Dennis O’Rourke Memorial, Chauvel Cinema, Paddington, 7 Dec (RSVPs by 6 Dec); http://www.ozdox.org/events/dennis-orourke-memorial/

Fallout, Lawrence Johnston

Sydney audiences will be treated to a special cinema season of Fallout, a new documentary by Lawrence Johnston. The doco goes behind the scenes of the making of the Hollywood film On the Beach, which brought Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner to Australia for the filming. On the Beach, based on the book by Neville Shute, had a sobering anti-nuclear message but writer and film director Stanley Kramer soon began to see issues differently. Check out the trailer here.
Fallout, director Lawrence Johnston, producer Peter Kaufmann, Dendy Newton, from 5 Dec.