BLUE MOUNTAINS CULTURAL CENTRE
ISSUE 21
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 1
BLUE MOUNTAINS CULTURAL CENTRE
Administration Officer Felicity Hallam
OPENING HOURS
Public Programs Coordinator Katrina Noorbergen
10AM – 5PM MONDAY – FRIDAY 10AM – 4PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10AM – 2PM PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
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Joint ticket admission for entry to both the World Heritage Exhibition and Blue Mountains City Art Gallery: Adults $5 Concession
$3
Children under 16
FREE
InSight Members
FREE
ROAD BATHURST
THE CARRINGTON HOTEL
CULTURAL CENTRE
FROMA
LN EET
ADMISSION
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PRYO R PL
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Exhibitions and Building Technician Mark Surtees
Café Coordinator Sharon Holstein
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KATO OMB
(closed Good Friday & Christmas Day)
Patron Services Officer Nicole Roberts
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KATOOMBA RAILWAY
Curator Rilka Oakley
Front of House Connie Moran, Kellie Mar, Kate Phillips, Nicole Roberts, Hannah Surtees, Nina Waters
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Promotion & Retail Manager Giulia Del Vento Rose Stibbard
We thank the dedicated volunteers at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, who provide valuable support to staff and visitors.
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Exhibitions Manager Sabrina Roesner
Café Staff Sheena, Jennifer, Wade, Claire, Martin, Vanessa, Ruby
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Director Paul Brinkman
02 4780 5410 30 Parke St, Katoomba NSW 2780 info@bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au
MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 1
The Gallery Café
Cultural Centre Shop
The Gallery Café, situated within the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, is the perfect place to catch up with friends or take a break whilst visiting the Art Gallery. Visitors can enjoy Bean Ninja Coffee, a favourite with locals and visitors alike, pastries and cakes in the relaxing setting of the lounge area. Our philosophy is to showcase the highest quality of local produce in our offerings. The restaurant menu serves up delicious meals prepared to order with a range of locally sourced alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Catering to families, large groups and business meetings in a relaxed, contemporary setting, the Gallery Café is open for lunch seven days. OPENING HOURS 9.30AM* – 4PM MONDAY – FRIDAY 10AM – 3.30PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY (closed public holidays) *9.30am access to the Café is via the rear courtyard only. No access can be gained to other spaces in the Centre until 10am. PHOTO: Ona Janzen
2 • Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Blue Mountains City Art Gallery
The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Shop showcases an extensive range of local and Australian made products. Our range of unique and creative gifts, homewares, stationery, books and children’s toys are carefully selected to complement gallery exhibitions and the Blue Mountains region. For more information about locally produced items, please ask one of our friendly retail staff members. InSight Members receive a 10% discount on items in the Shop and invitations to exclusive member sales throughout the year. OPENING HOURS 10AM – 5PM MONDAY – FRIDAY 10AM – 4PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY PHOTO: Kellie Mar
contents Editor: Nicole Roberts InSight is proudly designed and printed in the Blue Mountains.
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FROM THE DIRECTOR
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INSIGHT NEWS
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WORLD HERITAGE EXHIBITION
Printing: Springwood Printing
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BLUE MOUNTAINS CITY ART GALLERY EXHIBITION GUIDE
Front cover: MARTY WALKER Untitled (Blackheath) #1 2018, digital inkjet print, 55 x 75 cm. Commissioned through the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Collection Acquisition Fund 2018.
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JOHN MAWURNDJUL: I AM THE OLD AND THE NEW AN INTERVIEW WITH MCA CURATORS
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BLUE MOUNTAINS CULTURAL CENTRE PUBLIC PROGRAMS
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INSIGHT MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Design: Nicole Roberts (original template design by Letra design & illustration)
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 3
FROM THE DIRECTOR Welcome to another issue of our InSight magazine, full of information about the many creative and cultural opportunities on offer across the Blue Mountains. Time is limited to see the fascinating Reality In Flames: modern Australian art and the Second World War, on tour from the National War Memorial until 20 October. Up next we launch Blue Mountains artist Wendy Tsai's Drawing Kedumba from 5 October and then the ever-popular Operation Art touring exhibition from 26 October, displaying student works (Kindergarten to Year 10) created for the Children's Hospital at Westmead. From 7 December we will be closing out the year with the major blockbuster exhibition touring from the Museum of
Contemporary Art, John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new. This exhibition, co-presented by the MCA and the Art Gallery of South Australia, in association with Maningrida Arts & Culture, features bark paintings and sculptures by one of Australia’s most groundbreaking contemporary artists, telling the stories of Kuninjku culture of western Arnhem Land. As summer approaches and the days grow longer we will be introducing a range of public programs to make the most of the warm weather. Keep up to date with all on offer and take advantage of your InSight Membership benefits by visiting the Cultural Centre’s website or follow Blue Mountains Cultural Centre on Facebook. Paul Brinkman Director, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre
NEW ACQUISITIONS: MARTY WALKER In 2018, Katoomba photographer Marty Walker was commissioned to produce a suite of seven photographs based on the urban landscape of the Blue Mountains for the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre’s Collection. The photographs highlight the unique Mountains’ atmosphere: misty street lights, the majestic Carrington chimney, and bring into focus the ordinary details of our built environment: park equipment, road crossings and traffic systems. Three of the suite will be displayed on the Collection Feature Wall in the Cultural Centre for the next few months.
Walker’s approach to photography has evolved from simply recording his surroundings towards a new, mindful way of seeing. Looking intently at a scene, person or object, without any preconceived ideas about how it should be represented, forms the basis of his methodology. Walker describes the act of taking a photograph “as the last part of closely observing a subject to find a unique perspective that is not normally acquired at first glance”. The resulting photographs are outstanding.
IMAGE: MARTY WALKER The Carrington from Acacia Street 2017 (detail), digital inkjet print, 75 x 55 cm. Commissioned through the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Collection Acquisition Fund 2018.
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 5
World Heritage Exhibition In 2000 the Greater Blue Mountains Area was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in recognition of the exceptional diversity and integrity of its eucalypt forest communities. The permanent World Heritage Exhibition: Into the Blue features high-tech interactive exhibitions exploring the natural and social landscapes of this unique area. Audiences are invited to navigate their way through these stories through an immersive exhibition experience, introducing them to the richness and wonders of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
PHOTO: Robert Walsh
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Blue Mountains City Art Gallery Exhibition Guide
REALITY IN FLAMES: MODERN AUSTRALIAN ART AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR 31 AUGUST – 20 OCTOBER WENDY TSAI DRAWING KEDUMBA 5 OCTOBER – 1 DECEMBER
OPERATION ART 26 OCTOBER – 1 DECEMBER CONNECTIONS ART & COLLABORATION 26 OCTOBER – 1 DECEMBER
JOHN MAWURNDJUL I AM THE OLD AND THE NEW 7 DECEMBER – 19 JANUARY OBSESSED COMPELLED TO MAKE 7 DECEMBER – 19 JANUARY
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 7
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Reality in flames: modern Australian art and the Second World War 31 AUGUST – 20 OCTOBER Reality in flames explores the different ways in which Australian modernist artists responded creatively to the war, producing work which sought to comprehend cataclysmic events. It also provides a visual history of the period, revealing the war as a transformative force that altered Australia and the world.
IMAGE: RUSSEL DRYSDALE (1912–1981) Soldier 1942, oil on hardboard. ART92623. Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial
The exhibition consists of 88 works of art drawn from the Australian War Memorial’s collection, which forms one of the most diverse and comprehensive accounts of Second World War Australian modernist art. Many were created through the official war art scheme, where artists were commissioned to record the experience of Australians fighting overseas or of home-front wartime activity – a tradition that began
during the First World War and continues today. This is the first exhibition dedicated exclusively to exploring the reactions of Australian modernist artists to the Second World War. Artists have always played a crucial role in recording and interpreting the Australian experience of war, and the works in this travelling exhibition explore both the dangers soldiers faced abroad and the challenges war brought to the home front and to Australian society itself. An Australian War Memorial Touring Exhibition
OPPOSITE: Installation view, Blue Mountains City Art Gallery. Photo: silversalt
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 9
WENDY TSAI DRAWING KEDUMBA 5 OCTOBER – 1 DECEMBER Drawing Kedumba is a collection of drawings, video and embroidery documenting the Kedumba River in Katoomba that stretches from the Gully to Katoomba Falls. The exhibition visually maps the landscape and reveals the struggle between historical and natural preservation, and overdevelopment. The exhibition consists of over forty small drawings hung together to form a huge detailed visual map of the area. Video, photography, and embroidery provide smaller narrative encounters. The artworks consider some of the multi-layered complexities of biodiversity, Aboriginal displacement, colonisation, and current land management practices, as well as a solemn recognition of the area’s natural beauty. IMAGE: WENDY TSAI McRaes #6 2019, charcoal, pastel and pencil on paper, 76 x 89 cm. Photo: Cottontail Press 10 • Blue Mountains City Art Gallery
FRAME UP – ART WORKSHOP WITH WENDY TSAI
Families
Adults
WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER 10AM – 12:30PM
SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 10AM – 2PM
Frame Up is a fun workshop for families where everyone gets to play at framing themselves visually against the beautiful backdrop of the Kedumba River. Families will work together at putting each other in a frame and working with positive and negative spaces back in the Cultural Centre workshop room. Adults and children will have fun exploring how to use cut-out shapes and drawings to picture themselves in nature.
Frame Up, with exhibiting artist Wendy Tsai, enables participants to experiment with framing the landscape to make it more personally engaging. Using framing structures, participants will explore the edges of the Kedumba Creek to find spaces that have strong positive and negative visual elements to play with back in the workshop space. Using a light box, black and white photographs and drawing materials, participants will make their own unique and personal landscape drawings.
Family of 2: $55 | $50 InSight Members Family of 3 or 4: $65 | $60 InSight Members Bookings essential at reception or 4780 5410.
For both workshops: You will need your own transport to the Katoomba Falls Reserve and then to the Cultural Centre. Wear casual clothes and bring a smart phone, drawing materials and a sketchbook. BYO lunch, drinks and morning tea supplies or purchase from the Cultural Centre Cafe. Meeting place: Carpark at Katoomba Falls Reserve, close to the two ovals.
$65 | $60 InSight Members Bookings essential at reception or 4780 5410.
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 11
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Operation Art
STUDENT OPERATION ART WORKSHOPS
26 OCTOBER – 1 DECEMBER
YEARS 1 & 2: TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER
Operation Art is an initiative of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in collaboration with the Department of Education. This state wide visual arts exhibition is comprised of works by students from Kindergarten to Year 10, who created artworks for children in hospital. The exhibition provides a real purpose for student’s artmaking – contributing to the wellbeing of sick children and their families by creating work which is uplifting and gives hope to those who spend much of their time at hospital. Annually, over 800 students across all of NSW enter their work in the Operation Art exhibition and receive wide spread recognition for their work with over 10,000 visitors viewing the exhibition at Sydney Olympic Park, and then thousands more viewing the touring exhibition which visits five regional galleries each year
before the works are donated to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. The Operation Art touring exhibition on display at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre comprises 50 selected artworks from the Operation Art Main Exhibition. Operation Art is an initiative of NSW Department of Education and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
YEARS 3 & 4: WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER YEARS 5 & 6: THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 9AM – 2:30PM Spend a whole day making, creating and learning new visual arts skills with these fun and practical student workshops. Covering a variety of mediums, experiment and expand your artmaking experience with drawing, painting, printing, mixed media and sculpture. Parents are invited to a mini presentation of the work at 2.30pm. All equipment and materials are supplied but you should bring recess, lunch and a paint shirt. $50.60 (inc GST) per student
OPPOSITE: Operation Art 2018 at Blue Mountains City Art Gallery. Photo: silversalt
Bookings essential via: https://www.artsunit.nsw.edu.au/ node/15008/view
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 13
Connections Art & Collaboration 26 OCTOBER – 1 DECEMBER Focussing on renowned visual artists Bernard Ollis, Wendy Sharpe, Ann Smith and Ian Smith, this exhibition delves into the intriguing creative relationships essential to the production of collaborative work. The painter and the potter, the drafter and the printer, each artist bringing their individual skills to the table to produce works greater than the sum of the parts. While the practical benefits of working together on complex artworks are obvious, the creative process of art making also lends itself to partnership. Working through
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the many demands of bringing an idea to realisation requires a resilient relationship in which elucidation, conciliation, stubbornness, and shared respect exists in equal measure. Often, this can result in firm, life-long friendships such as those of the four artists that are the focus of this exhibition. A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition IMAGE: Ian Smith, Bernard Ollis, Anne Smith and Wendy Sharpe. Photo: Ben Pearse
CONNECTIONS: ART & COLLABORATION ARTIST PANEL FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER 5PM FREE EVENT Join us for an artist panel with Ian and Anne Smith, Wendy Sharp and Bernard Ollis, as a special pre-exhibition opening event for Connections: Art & Collaboration. Discover how these artists work individually, collaboratively and creatively from their inspiring and overlapping experiences. RSVP essential at reception or 4780 5410.
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 15
JOHN MAWURNDJUL: I AM THE OLD AND THE NEW 7 DECEMBER 2019 – 19 JANUARY 2020 John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new reunites works of art made across a 40-year period. The artist has led the development of this exhibition, which describes in Kuninjku (and English) his places of special cultural significance known as kunred, as well as the sacred places and spirits – or Djang – that resurface time and time again in his artmaking. We also encounter the animals and spirit beings that populate these locations including female water spirits (yawkyawk), rainbow serpents (ngalyod) and mischievous mimih spirits. The places around western Arnhem Land that recur in his work include spring-fed creeks such as Milmilngkan, sandstone escarpments including Ngandarrayo and the white clay quarries of the seasonal creek called Kudjarnngal. The materials used by Mawurndjul to make his art come from these places: the stringy bark eucalypt skins that form the body of his bark paintings; the white clay, yellow and
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red ochres mined from sacred deposits that become paint; and the manyilk, the paint brush sedge that makes the single strand brushes that the artist uses to make cross hatching or rarrk. The Mardayin ceremony, comprising rituals of a sacred nature, and informing so much of Mawurndjul’s work, remains a timeless narrative thread that links the past to the present, and sheds light on Kuninjku future – embracing the old and the new. This exhibition was developed and co-presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and the Art Gallery of South Australia, in association with Maningrida Arts & Culture.
EXHIBITION FLOOR TALK SATURDAY 7 DECEMBER 11AM FREE WITH GALLERY ADMISSION TICKET RSVP appreciated at reception or 4780 5410.
FILM SCREENING: TALES FROM THE KIMBERLEY SATURDAY 7 DECEMBER 1PM $8 | $5 InSight Members Bookings essential at reception or 4780 5410.
OPPOSITE: JOHN MAWURNDJUL Ngalyod, 2012, earth pigments on Stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta), Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the MCA Foundation, 2015 © John Mawurndjul / Copyright Agency, 2019, photograph: Jessica Maurer.
WINANGALI: CONTEMPORARY ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER ART PRACTICE FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER 10AM – 12PM FREE EVENT Winangali means ‘to hear, to know’ in the language of the Gadigal people. Winangali is a small group program for secondary students based on dialogue and exchange. Students will be encouraged to critically respond to artworks by John Mawurndjul, make personal connections, share their own stories and work collaboratively with others in a fun, hands-on gallery experience.
TACTILE TOUR AND WORKSHOP FOR FAMILIES WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY 10AM & 2PM FREE EVENT Have you ever imagined what an artwork might sound like? How it would move if it came to life? Activate your senses and let your imagination run wild as you engage with artworks in the gallery through fun hands-on activities. This is an inclusive experience for children and their families. Support for people with physical, intellectual, learning and sensory access requirements will be available during the program. Please outline any access requirements when you book.
Presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia Please call 4780 5410 for more information or to make a booking
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 17
OBSESSED: COMPELLED TO MAKE 7 DECEMBER 2019 – 19 JANUARY 2020 Obsessed: Compelled to make presents the work of 14 artists from across Australia, delving beyond the finished object, beyond the personality of the maker, into the fundamental conceptual framework of their creations. We look at the complexities of their materials and processes, the realities of their dayto-day studio routine and unravel what compels each maker to create over the course of their personal career – Why this technique or material? Why that concept? How does the mind of a maker work? This exhibition explores the act of making through the framework of obsession – how it consumes
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us, carrying us along in its wake, colouring every aspect of our lives. With these professional artists, it is their obsessions, and all the associated angst, failures, breakthroughs and milestones, that feeds their productivity and to deliver exceptional outcomes. Exhibiting artists are Gabriella Bisetto, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Honor Freeman, Jon Goulder, Kath Inglis, Laura McCusker, Elliat Rich and James B Young (Elbowrkshp), Kate Rohde, Oliver Smith, Vipoo Srivilasa, Tjunkaya Tapaya, Louise Weaver and Liz Williamson. ADC On Tour: An Australian Design Centre national touring exhibition
PANEL DISCUSSION OBSESSED: IN THE MAKING SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 11AM – 12PM FREE WITH GALLERY ADMISSION TICKET Come along and hear some of the creatives involved in the making of the exhibition Obsessed: Compelled to make discuss their creative input in an exhibition that showcases the awe-inspiring creativity and innovation of makers from across Australia and examines the fundamental human need to make. Hear from artist Honor Freeman, designer Stephen Goddard and curator Lisa Cahill. They will discuss how each element of the project was conceived to build a compelling portrait of making in Australia today. RSVP appreciated at reception or 4780 5410. IMAGE: Vipoo Srivilasa, 2017. Photograph by Angus Lee Forbes. OPPOSITE: Lorraine Connelly-Northey, building wire narbong, 2017. Photograph by Jules Boag.
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 19
JOHN MAWURNDJUL: I AM THE OLD AND THE NEW AN INTERVIEW WITH MCA CURATORS CLOTHILDE BULLEN MCA SENIOR CURATOR OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COLLECTIONS & EXHIBITIONS John Marwurndjul: I am the old and the new is a landmark exhibition presenting the artist’s most significant works from the MCA, AGSA and other public and private collections. Tell us about the development of this exhibition by a curatorial team from the MCA and AGSA and curated in close consultation with the artist, John Mawurndjul AM, staff from Maningrida Arts & Culture and Dr Murray Garde. John Mawurndjul, Maningrida, 2018. Photograph: Rhett Hammerton
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During a second visit to Maningrida, and to a number of particular sites on country significant to John Mawurndjul, the MCA curatorial team, John and Murray Garde (a friend of John’s and a wonderful translator)
had serious conversations about the framework of the exhibition. John described the way in which he thought it would work; to group all works by moiety – in this case Duwa and Yirridjdja – and then to follow a path of ‘kunred’ (special places) in different parts of his country. Mimih spirits were to be presented together, lorrkkons as a group and then etchings placed in their own separate space as they are, in John’s words, a ‘western’ thing. It was critical to shift the sense of the curators as the gatekeepers and knowledge-holders and instead position the artist as the expert on his own practice and ways of narrating it. The exhibition themes are grouped by places – or kunred – then animals and spirits, mimih, lorrkkon and etchings. Can you tell us more about the concept of kunred and why it is so important in the context of Mawurndul’s work?
As John has explained to Murray, who is fluent in John's language Kuninjku, the notion of kunred in essence refers to a home or a place where you can camp and live or where people traditionally come to camp. But this idea cannot be decontextualised from all of the components which make up its broader meaning. Every animal is a particular resource at each place, and each spirit being has contributed to that particular landscape and to the narratives that help to make up the Kuninjku worldview and society. There is a natural order to those things. Lorrkkons are used in mortuary rites and the funereal practices of Kuninjku people are modified by custodial location and kinship networks – all are intimately tied together. The exhibition features bilingual texts in both English and Kuninjku. Tell us about the process of working with interpreter and translator Dr Murray Garde and the artist to share significant stories and knowledge. The curatorial team wanted to
shift the paradigm of centring the curatorial voice and then translating it into another language. The way language works, and particularly Indigenous Australian languages, is that the schemas and contexts represented are unique to the language holder’s cultural group, and ideas and ways of explaining change when forced into an English language framework. We wanted to begin with Kuninjku and fit English around that – this is represented in the exhibition spaces, the publication and John’s very own website: www.johnmawurndjul.com. Murray Garde was absolutely integral to being able to undertake this bilingual aspect to the exhibition. Murray sat for many hours with John interviewing him in Kuninjku and then translating to English, all the while explaining the often quite different cultural frameworks. We had no mandate for this other than what John decided was important to talk about – and these conversations in full can be found in the publication. They
JOHN MAWURNDJUL, Ancestral Spirit Beings Collecting Honey, 1985–87, earth pigments on Stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta), Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Maningrida Arts & Culture with financial assistance from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board of the Australia Council, 1994 © John Mawurndjul / Copyright Agency, 2019, photograph: Jessica Maurer.
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 21
go into the kunred, the narratives of each location and significant ancestral beings, as well as Kuninjku history and cultural knowledge.
KEITH MUNRO MCA CURATOR OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PROGRAMS Language being an important part of this exhibition, the MCA has developed some extraordinary learning resources that explore Kuninjku language through storytelling, while enabling touring venues to create their own language programs. Can you tell us more about the development of these learning resources and what you hope audiences will learn? The language resources developed for the show have been integral part of the exhibition and national tour. Developed in conversation with the artist, his family and Maningrida Art Centre, John was really keen to extend the idea of moving through Kuninjku kunred or country, as you walk through the exhibition, in an 22 • Blue Mountains City Art Gallery
immersive way. We were lucky enough to have the artist, family members and close friend Dr Murray Garde record words in Kuninjku language to allow audience members to pronounce the titles of artworks, various animals or places, for example in the artist's language. Learning language from the artist's country enables visitors to see the places depicted powerfully in his artworks in a much deeper light. Likewise hearing John talk about his art practice on country is equally enriching. The language programs that have been developed through touring venues help support, rekindle and sustain language programs in those
communities. They allow a space for the sharing of local stories and ways of seeing and understanding their country just as John has attempted to do through the resources developed for the show. This year is the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages so this also enables audiences to celebrate an Australian language through this incredible exhibition. ABOVE: JOHN MAWURNDJUL, Nawarramulmul (Shooting star spirit), 1988; Ngalyod (Female rainbow serpent), 1988; Ancestral spirit beings collecting honey, (1985 – 1987). Installation view, MCA Collection: Luminous, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2015 © John Mawurndjul / Copyright Agency, 2019, photograph: Christopher Snee.
Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Public Programs
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 23
From the Brink A FRINGE FESTIVAL ABOUT AGEING, DYING, GRIEVING, AND OUR COMMUNITY From the Brink is a satellite event to the 6th public health palliative care international (PHPCI) conference in Leura. As part of the festival, several Blue Mountains venues will showcase local, national, and international creative initiatives such as film, installation, music, theatre, literature, photography and conversations.
ONE DAY FILM FESTIVAL AND ARTIST PANEL SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER 10AM – 7PM Join us at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre for a one-day film festival and after-hours panel discussion with creative practitioners addressing ageing, dying, grieving, and our community. 24 • Blue Mountains Cultural Centre
AGEING CREATIVELY: GAMING AND PLAYING WITH WORDS TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER 2PM – 4PM Ageing Creatively is a Western Sydney University project that delivers innovative creative writing workshops in aged care centres. Older people with little or no writing experience come together to push the boundaries of their creativity and play and game with words to stimulate creativity and healthy cognition. In this session WSU project leaders Melinda Jewell and Rachel Morley invite you to experience an
Ageing Creatively workshop. You’ll get to sample writing techniques, which might include collage, writing cut-ups and memory generators, and you’ll meet some of the older writers they’ve been working with. All welcome, no experience needed, but bring pen and paper. More information and bookings: fromthebrinkfestival@gmail.com
CINEMA UNDER THE STARS Kick back under the stars this summer during the Cultural Centre’s courtyard cinema program. Including a pop up bar, snacks and prizes for best dressed, come and revisit a selection of classic films from the 70s and 80s on our big outdoor screen. Screenings begin at sundown.
FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER GHOSTBUSTERS (ORIGINAL, PG) FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (ORIGINAL, G) FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (M) FRIDAY JANUARY 17 LABYRINTH (G) Tickets available at the door or pre-book via reception on 4780 5410. $8 | $5 InSight Members
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 25
PRINTMAKING WEEKEND WITH LIZ PERFECT SATURDAY 9 & SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER 10AM – 3PM Over the course of two days, you will be introduced to both etching and relief printing techniques, suitable for beginners. Day one will focus on Etching: learning how to use drypoint, inking up plates for printing, and using an etching press. You will also create collographs using free drawing and collage. Day two will be experimenting with multi-plate Relief prints using a variety of colours, papers and a printing press. Bring drawings and photographs of a person or place for inspiration and discover how to create harmonious designs, tonal juxtapositions and diverse textures with printmaking. Materials included. $190 | $180 InSight Members Bookings essential at reception or 4780 5410. 26 • Blue Mountains Cultural Centre
XMAS WOLLEMI ARTISAN MARKET SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 10AM – 3PM FREE EVENT Join us at the Blue Mountains Culture Centre for the Xmas Wollemi Artisan Market. Browse a range of artistic gift ideas from talented Blue Mountains makers, listen to live music and hear contemporary artists and designers discuss their work as part of the exhibition Obsessed – Compelled to make, touring from the Australian Design Centre. The market will showcase art prints, jewellery, homewares, beauty products, bags, accessories, toys and more and is the perfect opportunity to shop local this Christmas.
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 27
ANNE SMITH, Odalisque III Etching 20 x 25 cm.
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InSight Membership MEMBER BENEFITS Free annual entry to the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery and World Heritage Exhibition Discounts on Blue Mountains Cultural Centre public programs 10% discount at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Shop (excludes exhibition artwork sales) 10% discount at the Gallery Café Invitations to Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition openings and InSight events Subscription to InSight Magazine Subscription to monthly e-newsletter Access to InSight Members Lounge at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre (Wednesday to Friday) 10% discount on Blue Mountains Theatre house shows Exclusive access to pre-sale tickets on selected events at Blue Mountains Theatre
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP PRICING
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Terms and Conditions Membership benefits apply to InSight Members only. InSight Member admission tickets are non-transferable. Individual Patron Members receive all regular benefits plus exclusive events, special offers and a 50% discount on venue hire at the Cultural Centre. Business Members receive all regular benefits plus a 50% discount on venue hire at the Cultural Centre and a 10% discount on advertising in InSight Magazine for the registered business. A replacement card fee of $5 applies for lost membership cards.
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Date processed: / / InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 29
Braemar Gallery 104 MACQUARIE RD SPRINGWOOD OPEN THURSDAY – SUNDAY 10AM – 4PM FREE ENTRY
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Exhibition Guide
CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Braemar Gallery is now accepting Expressions of Interest for sculptors to exhibit upon the beautiful manicured lawns of Braemar House. This new initiative is a great opportunity for artists and community groups based in the Blue Mountains region to exhibit external sculptures at this historic venue to a large and diverse audience.
3 OCTOBER – 27 OCTOBER KERRY BEAUMONT & PETAL DAVIES PLACES IN THE HEART – A TEXTILE EXPERIENCE ANITA WHITE AT THE GALLERY 31 OCTOBER – 1 DECEMBER GLENICE WARE NEW GROUND BRON NEWMAN TRAVELLING SOUTH TOWARDS ABSTRACTION ANNA DI MEZZA POSTCARDS FROM A TWILIGHT ZONE
IMAGE: HENRYK TOPOLNICKI Industrial Fruit at Braemar Gallery as part of Sculpture at Scenic World's RE:MIX 2018
The Braemar Gallery guidelines and Expression of Interest forms can be downloaded here: www.bluemountainsculturalcentre. com.au/braemar-gallery
For more information about current and upcoming exhibitions visit: www.bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au/braemar-gallery
5 DECEMBER – 19 JANUARY BEHIND THE SCENE InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 11
32••Blue 8 BlueMountains MountainsTheatre Theatre&&Community CommunityHub Hub
BLUE MOUNTAINS THEATRE PRESENTS
The Sapphires
Written and directed by Tony Briggs SATURDAY 4 APRIL, 8PM & SUNDAY 5 APRIL, 2PM The Sapphires is a multi-award winning musical play based on the remarkable true story of writer Tony Briggs’ mother. This uplifting Australian classic - full of comedy, heart and romance, together with unbeatable soul music - will stay with you for years to come. One of Australia’s best-loved stories, The Sapphires has won multiple awards as a play, film and soundtrack album. For this special national tour, writer Tony Briggs will direct his work in a version he promises will be the most intimate telling of the story yet.
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Set in the late 1960s against the backdrop of personal change and massive social upheaval, The Sapphires is the incredible journey of four sassy young Yorta Yorta women. Plucked from obscurity, they are given the opportunity to change their tune and their lives. Wearing sequins and armed only with microphones and their powerhouse voices, the talented singers find themselves trying to spread joy in the hell that is the Vietnam War. Joyful and vibrant, The Sapphires, explores the power of love and family bonds, challenges stereotypes and affirms life and the realisation of dreams.
Produced by Christine Harris & HIT Productions This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. Recommended 15+ years Tickets $54 | Concession $48 Group 8+ $46 | Youth (<18) $35 InSight Member discount available (applies to Full and Concession price only) Bookings via www.bluemountainstheatre.com or contact the Box Office on 4723 5050
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 9
BLUE MOUNTAINS THEATRE PRESENTS
VINCE JONES & THE ASTRAL ORCHESTRA VAN MORRISON’S MASTERPIECES FRIDAY 14 FEBRUARY, 8PM Valentine’s Day concert event When the Beatles moved to psychedelic rock and Dylan went electric, Van Morrison hired New York’s finest jazz musicians and recorded two of the classic albums of that golden era: Astral Weeks and Moondance.
Vince Jones and the Astral Orchestra will pay homage to Van Morrison’ extraordinary repertoire, highlighting two of Van Morrison’s most acclaimed albums; Astral Weeks — a poetic, mercurial blend of jazz, folk and blues — and his most successful album, the wonderful soul/jazz influenced Moondance.
Both albums had enormous impact on aspiring musicians and singers around the world - Australian jazz legend Vince Jones was one of them.
Vince Jones will put his unique spin on Morrison’s iconic songs, including Crazy Love, Sweet Thing, Into The Mystic, Madame George, Brand New Day and of course, Moondance.
A remarkable interpreter, Vince Jones has invited a selection of the country's finest jazz and rock musicians to form the Astral Orchestra, led by Music Director, Matt McMahon.
Vince has set the benchmark for Australian jazz vocalists and musicians across a 20 album international career. His influence by the Celtic, jazz and blues genres provides the perfect
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blend for his interpretation of two of contemporary rock music’s greatest works. Ticket price includes a complimentary glass of sparkling wine Tickets $69 | Concession $66 Bookings via www.bluemountainstheatre.com or contact the Box Office on 4723 5050
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BLUE MOUNTAINS THEATRE PRESENTS
Eishan Ensemble In Concert FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER, 8PM Lead by acclaimed PersianAustralian tar player and composer Hamed Sadeghi, Eishan Ensemble draws on contemporary and classical music traditions of both East and West. Since forming in 2016, Eishan Ensemble have performed internationally in Iran, Malaysia, Singapore, The Phillipines and Taiwan; with local performances across Sydney, including for Vivid Festival and Extended Play Festival of New Music at City Recital Hall. With Hamed Sadeghi on tar, Pedram Layegh on classical guitar, Michael Avgenicos on saxophone, Elsen Price on double bass and Adem Yilmaz on
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percussion, the layered soundscapes Eishan Ensemble create together are driven by the individual talents of each member as much as by the compositions themselves. The ensemble’s repertoire consists predominantly of Sadeghi’s original compositions with diverse improvisatory idioms featured powerfully. Variously described as “Persian chamber jazz” and “MiddleEastern jazz fusion”, Eishan Ensemble defies neat labels. Eishan Ensemble will perform pieces from their highly acclaimed album Nim Dong alongside new works from their upcoming album.
“… casts a spell all its own… astonishing power and convulsive impact…” – John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald ½ “Eishan Ensemble is a rare attempt in fusing contemporary Persian classical music with modern jazz…. a flawless combination, as evidenced by the fine compositions on this debut recording” – Songlines UK Tickets $36 | Concession $32 InSight Member discount available Bookings via www.bluemountainstheatre.com or contact the Box Office on 4723 5050
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 5
Blue Mountains Theatre & Community Hub Program
KAPUT THURSDAY 10 OCTOBER EISHAN ENSEMBLE FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER
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VINCE JONES & THE ASTRAL ORCHESTRA: VAN MORRISON’S MASTERPIECES FRIDAY 14 FEBRUARY THE SAPPHIRES SATURDAY 4 & SUNDAY 5 APRIL
BLUE MOUNTAINS THEATRE PRESENTS
Kaput BY TOM FLANAGAN THURSDAY 10 OCTOBER, 10AM Kaput is the multi-award winning family show that has melted hearts of all ages around the world with its glorious brand of slapstick, acrobatics and total silliness. After opening in 2012 to a premier sold-out season at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Tom Flanagan’s silent slapstick acrobatic comedy show Kaput has toured four continents, won countless awards and collected fans from 5 to 95 years old. Get swept up in the mayhem as one man’s life is flipped upside-down by the lonely, dust-covered world that
surrounds him. In the style of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, our likeable, luckless hero struggles to get the upper hand, taking one step forward and two-steps back until everything is… well… KAPUT. A Koral Chandler & Critical Stages Production
Kaput] just reaches in and puts a string of coloured lights around your heart” – The Scotsman
Suitable for all ages Adult $25 Child (<16) $20 Family (4) $80 Bookings via www.bluemountainstheatre.com or contact the Box Office on 4723 5050
“Tom Flanagan’s silent-movie clowning in Kaput is pure delight” – The Australian
InSight Membership Magazine issue 21 • 3
BLUE MOUNTAINS THEATRE & COMMUNITY HUB
TERN HWY GREAT WES GREE
Marketing Officer Lara Bohdanowicz Venue & Theatre Services Officer Mim Lombardi Venue & Theatre Services Assistant Rita Montenegro Acting Theatre & Building Technician Katrina McMahon
NE
BRAEMAR HOUSE & GALLERY
TO SPRINGWOOD RAILWAY
MACQUARIE ROAD
Opened in 1988, Braemar Gallery is a community gallery, hosting changing exhibitions each month that showcase works of local and regional artists. Situated in the beautiful historic Braemar House, Springwood, the gallery is a valuable community venue and a must-see for lovers of local art. We thank the many dedicated Braemar Gallery Volunteers.
Theatre Technician Adrian Hastings
BRAEMAR GALLERY OPENING HOURS
Administration Officer Denise McNamara
10AM – 4PM THURSDAY – SUNDAY FREE ADMISSION
A one off fee of $3.30 (for service and handling) applies per transaction. This is regardless of the number or value of items purchased. COVER: Eishan Ensemble
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BRAEMAR HOUSE
SPRINGWOOD LIBRARY
THE HUB THE HUB
P
D ROAD
Programs Coordinator Yvonne Hellmers
NWA Y LA
DAVID ROA
D
RAYMON
Facility Manager Tim Smith
Blue Mountains Theatre & Community Hub 02 4780 5050 104-108 Macquarie Rd, Springwood NSW 2777 thehub@bmcc.nsw.gov.au bluemountainstheatre.com Braemar House & Gallery 104 Macquarie Rd, Springwood NSW 2777 braemargallery@gmail.com Enquiries can also be made to the Cultural Centre on 02 4780 5410
FROM THE HUB The year is almost over but there’s still fantastic entertainment experiences to come at the Blue Mountains Theatre! For side-splitting family fun these October school holidays, don’t miss Kaput, a delightful one-man show that has melted hearts around the world with its slapstick, acrobatics and silentmovie clowning. In November, the acclaimed Eishan Ensemble will preview pieces from their upcoming album, an intriguing and genre-defying fusion of contemporary Persian classical music and modern jazz. Classic rock fans are in for a rare treat in November when legendary guitarist Martin Barre presents A Celebration of 50 Years of Jethro Tull. We will celebrate our 5-year milestone in 2020 with an exciting year-long program of events. Details will be released soon, but in the meantime we
are delighted to announce two program highlights: Jazz legend Vince Jones will pay homage to Van Morrison’s masterpieces with a special Valentine’s Day concert. Accompanied by a handpicked selection of Australia’s greatest rock and jazz musicians, Vince will add his extraordinary twist to classic songs from Moondance and Astral Weeks. In April, one of Australia’s most-loved stories, The Sapphires, comes to life on the Blue Mountains Theatre stage. This uplifting and vibrant musical play has it all – comedy, romance, drama and unbeatable soul music. For details of these and more upcoming programs, please go to: www.bluemountainstheatre.com Tim Smith Facility Manager, Blue Mountains Theatre & Community Hub
BLUE MOUNTAINS MOUNTAINS THEATRE & COMMUNITY HUB BLUE CULTURAL CENTRE BRAEMAR GALLERY
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