Monday, March 24, 2014

Edwards Lodge and Northern Terrace SRS Studios at the Darebin Community & Kite Festival, with Nebula

JP (John Penna), Aliey Ball and Richard Graves at the Darebin Community & Kite Festival. Photo credit Darebin City Council. 
Arts Access Victoria took Nubula, the fully accessible mobile art space, to the 2014 Darebin Community & Kite Festival, part of the True North Festival. Nebula where it was utilised as a workshop space for participants of Edwards Lodge and Northern Terrace SRS Studios to work with guest artist, Mark Cuthbertson, to create a giant kite. 

About Nebula
Nebula was designed for people with disability who want to access the arts in an environment that was built for them.  With this at the forefront of our programming, Arts Access Victoria delivers events that are inclusive for both visitors and performers with disability in the unique space of Nebula.

About the SRS Studios
Supported Residential Services (SRS) offer accommodation to men and women living with mental health issues, physical/intellectual disability, acquired brain injury or drug/alcohol dependency. Our SRS Studios provide an opportunity for people from residential services to engage with art making in a professional studio environment with high quality materials and industry level tutelage and advice.

About Guest Artist Mark Cuthbertson
Artworks & Practice
“My current practice is exploring metaphors of colonisation & domestication within a broad national context,
Experimenting with a verity of constructed forms & large scale controlled inflated environments,
Drawing relationship and direction between the work & the given installation site.
Exploring ways to reinvent domestic & industrial materials in the development & direction of new works,
Endeavouring to deliver a sense of encounter and dialogue with the audience, the site & the broader thematic of the work.”

Edwards Lodge SRS participating artists, David Weston and Gus Cattapan at Darebin Community & Kite Festival. Sunday 23rd March 2014. Photo credit Paul Dunn.
Nebula at Darebin Community & Kite Festival. Sunday 23rd March 2014. Photo credit Paul Dunn.
Northern Terrace SRS participating artist, JP (John Penna) hard at work sewing the kite with Arts Access Victoria's Arts Developemnt Officer, Aliey Ball, at Darebin Community & Kite Festival. Sunday 23rd March 2014. Photo credit Paul Dunn.
Northern Terrace SRS participating artist, Valma
 hard at work sewing the kite with Arts Access Victoria's Arts Developemnt Officer, Aliey Ball, at Darebin Community & Kite Festival. Sunday 23rd March 2014. Photo credit Paul Dunn.
Edwards Lodge SRS Studio participating artist, Richard Graves, creating the kite tail.
Left to right: Guest Artist Mark Cuthbertson, David Weston, Aliey Ball and Richard Graves, putting the finishing touches on the kite. 
Edwards Lodge SRS Studio participating artist, Richard Graves, launching the kite.
Edwards Lodge SRS Studio participating artist, Robin Pierson, rejoicing when the kite took off into the sky!

Northern Terrace SRS Studio participating artist, JP (John Penna), steering the kite with great skill and precision.

Up she goes!

Flying high!
"I didn't want to do anything at first, but once I got into it I really loved it. I really loved doing those foam prints. Mine came out good." Robyn Pierson

"It was grouse doing the portraits. That was amazing that time." Richard Graves

"I enjoyed myself and I would like to do it again. It reminded me of the good old days when we would fly kites."  Gus Cattopan 

"It was very enjoyable. I really liked doing the portraits because it was something different. It was good to try something different for a change. And the food was nice too."   Royce Clover

"One thing I really enjoyed which has nothing to do with painting was sewing. It was the first time I used a sewing machine.  That I felt was really terrific." Robyn Pierson

"We should have a festival each week." Royce Clover

"I enjoyed it because I was doing something. Doing printmaking was reasonably successful. I felt really good about my print." John Penna

"Nice people to talk to. It was good." Valma Lewthwaite

"It was good. I enjoyed it. I meet some different people. It was different because I've never made a kite before. And nice lunch." Troy Lewthwaite

"I was sewing material to make the kite. I learnt how to do it.  It was good using the sewing machine. It was good." Valma Lewthwaite

"I need assistance, then I feel like I'm doing something. It was really good flying the kite they made." John Penna


"When is the next festival going to be?" Toufic

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Sydney Road Street Part, Brunswick Music Festival 2014

Above:  Artstop SRS Open Studio participant Giovanni Dimase was MC for Nebula at the Sydney Road Street Party, seen here with Rebecca Barnard and her son Harry O'Marra in the background.

On Sunday 2nd March 2014 Arts Access Victoria brought Nebula, the fully accessible mobile art space to the Sydney Road Street party. Nebula became one of seven stages and hosted a banquet of talented performers, including Artstop SRS Open Studio participants Stefano Conti (pictured below) and Giovanni Dimase (above), Rebecca Barnard and her son Harry O'Marra, Heidi Everett and Phil Heuzenroeder, Rudely Interrupted and The Night Before Tomorrow. 
It was a wonderful day with big crowds and a full filled atmosphere. 

Stefano Conti reciting his powerful poetry.