Performance Space Annual Report 2011 by Performance Space

PERFORMANCE SPACE

ANNUAL REPORT 2011

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

ABOUT PERFORMANCE SPACE

MISSION & CORE VALUES Performance Space is Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading organisation for the development and presentation of interdisciplinary arts. Performance Space is an arts development agency supporting the exploration and experience of new forms, new ideas, and new contexts.

Performance Space is: Committed: to interdisciplinary arts informed by performance, which draw their influence from across the performing and visual arts. Ambitious: to enable artists to reach their potential, to enrich lives of audiences, and to be a world-leader in interdisciplinary arts. Inclusive: of artistic ideas, forms, and contexts, and the diversity and differences of our artists and audiences. Collaborative: with artists, arts organisations, communities, government and other stakeholders in pursuit of mutual goals. Strategic: in business; balancing the day-to-day, entrepreneurial opportunities and long-term aspirations.

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

STAFF

BOARD

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CEO Daniel Brine

CHAIR Clare Petre

GENERAL MANAGER Dale Hollingsworth (acting until February 2011) Julieanne Campbell

TREASURER Kate Barnet

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Bec Dean Jeff Khan PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Ellis-Windsor TECHNICAL MANAGER Richard Manner (until October 2011) Aaron Clarke (starting October 2011)

DIRECTORS Clark Butler Leon Cmielewski Sue Donnelly Ian Enright John Gillies (until March 2011) Andrea James Jann Kohlman Jane McDermott Gail Priest

MEDIA AND MARKETING OFFICER Rosie Fisher RELATIONSHIPS & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Julia Holderness INDIGENOUS PROJECTS OFFICER Alison Murphy-Oates (position commenced June 2011) PROJECTS OFFICER Georgie Meagher Nat Randall ADMINISTRATOR Amelia Wallin FINANCE OFFICER Rhanda Mansour

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

CHAIR’S REPORT 2011 was Artistic Director Daniel Brine’s third and final full year driving the artistic direction of Performance Space, having joined us in November 2008. It was a difficult decision for Daniel to leave Australia and return to the UK, having achieved some significant milestones during his short but outstanding time in this leadership role. We wish Daniel all the best in his new position as the Director of The Junction, a multi-artform venue in Cambridge. Due to the timing of Daniel’s resignation as Artistic Director, at the end of the year the Board appointed Bec Dean and Jeff Khan to start in January 2012, to act as Co-Directors of Performance Space, seeing the organisation through the business planning process for the 20132015 triennial application. 2011 was the second year of our 2010-2012 triennial funding period, and we have started to see the fruits of the changes proposed in the triennial business plan, including the realisation of our first major, commissioned offsite project, WALK which took audiences on artist-led strolls around the Sydney metro area. WALK also engaged two major offsite partnerships with the Sydney Festival and the Sydney Opera House for Gob Squad’s Super Night Shot, and with Blacktown Arts Centre for Within and Without by Pascal Daantos Berry, Deborah Pollard and Anino Shadowplay Collective. Our partners in the Bundanon Trust enabled us to realise the final IndigeLab 2011 through the Bundanon Residency program at Riversdale. Strategic outcomes from IndigeLab were also supported by ArtsNSW in their support of our strategic residency program, IndigeSpace which

began with two fully funded residencies in 2011. Other residency partners included Critical Path, The Critical Practice Unit at the University of New South Wales, and the Centre for Performance Studies at Sydney University. Carriageworks continued to provide its important venue support, and with the appointment of Lisa Havilah, aligned with us as a program partner. In 2011 we were generously supported by a number of philanthropic foundations, including the Besen Foundation for The Body is a Big Place and the Sidney Myer Fund for Posts in the Paddock. Performance Space continues to deliver on strategic sector initiatives with our state and federal funding partners including Indigelab, IndigeSpace, the Emerging Indigenous Producer Mentorship, the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy and Program Presenter. Enormous thanks go to the wonderful people that support our program as individual donors. Their individual contributions not only support the work of artists in Performance Space’s programs, but are also helping to shift Australian culture in the long term, to one that values the arts and cultural expression. Individual supporters have been listed in this report, and we would also like to acknowledge those who prefer to remain anonymous but who are highly valued. Pro-bono legal advice was generously provided by Henry Davis York. We continue to be active in national networks and contribute to both CAOS (network of contemporary arts organisations across Australia) and Mobile States, Touring Contemporary Performance. We thank our networks and partners for their support and look forward to working with them in the future. We continued to auspice grants closely tied to our program, and included the following creative developments and productions: Within & Without for Pascal Berry and Deb Pollard; Julie-Anne Long’s

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

Invisibility Project; Green Bans Art Walk for Big Fag Press; Vicki Van Hout’s Briwyant, including a presentation at the Dreaming Festival; and began work on Victoria Hunt’s Copper Promises: Hinemiki Haka, and Gail Priest and Jane McKernan’s One Thing Follows Another.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Aside from Daniel’s departure, 2011 was a relatively stable year for staffing at Performance Space, and as always, the staff continue to shine. Early in the New Year, Dale Hollingsworth, Acting General Manager, finished and Julieanne Campbell returned to her role as General Manager. Jeff Khan joined us as Associate Director, and Amelia Wallin started as our Administrator, replacing the wonderful Shuxia Chen. Georgie Meagher finished her contract as Emerging Producer and was appointed to the post of Projects Officer on a job share basis with Natalie Randall. After an epic 12 years, Richard Manner, our much-loved Technical Manager left, to be replaced by Aaron Clarke in October. Bec Dean continued as Associate Director, Tristan Ellis-Windsor as Production Manager, Rosie Fisher as Media & Marketing Officer and Julia Holderness as our Relationships & Audience Development Officer. Alison Murphy-Oates joined us as our Indigenous Projects Officer in June 2011 as part of the Australia Council’s Emerging Indigenous Producer Mentorship. Rhanda Mansour kept us financially water-tight with the assistance of finance consultant Sue Proctor. In addition, we would like to thank Harley Stumm for consulting with us on the forthcoming tour of Vicki Van Hout’s Briwyant.

2011 was a big year of development, presentation and change for Performance Space. We presented three concept-led seasons of work at Carriageworks, an ‘off-site’ season entitled WALK, the third and final IndigeLab at Bundanon, 19 residencies, and a multitude of events as part of ClubHouse. We also said farewell to Daniel Brine in December 2011, who returned to the UK after a transformative and visionary three years as our Artistic Director to take over the directorship of The Junction in Cambridge.

Lastly, sincere thanks go to my colleagues on the board for their hard work, commitment and enthusiasm for the unique work that Performance Space curates, presents and supports. Clare Petre CHAIR

The year kicked off in January with Gob Squad’s Super Night Shot in partnership with the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Festival. Jason Blake in The Sydney Morning Herald described the show as “one of the most inclusive and interesting works presented at the Sydney Festival.” The project was also assisted by many Performance Space volunteers, to whom we would like to express our sincere gratitude.

Uneasy Futures, our first season at Carriageworks ran from 15 April – 14 May, and included visual and performing arts that contemplated visions of the future and moving towards the unknown. It included new work from Vicki Van Hout, version 1.0, Dean Walsh and the exhibition Awfully Wonderful: Science Fiction in Contemporary Art curated by Bec Dean and Lizzie Muller, which included new and existing work by 12 Australian artists, and was accompanied by an audio guide narrated by scientists, sponsored by RiAus (The Royal Institution of Australia). The project was also supported by the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney which loaned Performance Space a number of speculative objects from its technology collection to support the installation of Jo Law. The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) came

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

on board to support the production of a catalogue and symposium. In September, we presented a mini-season of work as part of Mobile States: Sam James’s Vivaria, Gabrielle Nankivell’s I left my shoes on warm concrete and stood in the rain and James Saunders’ Harry Harlow Project. As always, Mobile States remains a critical part of Performance Space’s program in which we are able to present work by artists from across Australia. Our third season at Carriageworks in 2011 Exchange explored the way we share, trade and reciprocate, and included some exceptional collaborations, including Theatre Kantanka joining forces with Ensemble Offspring to present Bargain Garden, My Darling Patricia working with Moogahlin Performing Arts to present the much-anticipated Posts in the Paddock, a curatorial collaboration between Paul Gazzola and Jeff Khan to present eight short dance works as part of Return to Sender, and two visual arts projects: The Body is a Big Place by Helen Pynor and Peta Clancy, and HokusPokus by Michele Barker and Anna Munster. The Body is a Big Place has gone on to win an honourary mention in the Prix ARS Electronica in Austria and HokusPokus will be exhibited in the UK in 2012. ClubHouse — our space for critical dialogue, creative exchange and conversation — ran throughout the year and included a wide range of events. One of the big ClubHouse events for 2011 was SEAM, which included four intensive hybrid practice laboratories and a two-day symposium consisting of artist talks and performance presentations. Other ClubHouse events included artist talks by Simon Casson on Queer performance in the UK, Joey Ruigrok van der Werven on re-imaging large-scale site specific theatre spectacle, and Daniel Mudie Cunningham about his ongoing project The Jodie Foster Archive. There were screenings of Joe Lawlor’s Civic Life (part of the Sydney Film Festival), Philip Brophy’s Northern Void and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, and performances by Eugene Carchesio and Haines/

Hinterding, and a durational ten-hour performance by John A. Douglas. We collaborated with RealTime on a forum, and also hosted a Speculative Futures Symposium. Campfire Collective presented an evening of storytelling, Dorkbot held their monthly meeting for ‘people doing strange things with electricity’, there was a discussion regarding a Theatre Network for NSW, as well as a number of launches including Yelling at Stars DVD launch, and I Can Draw You a Picture. In 2011, we stepped out of Carriageworks for our first major offsite program. WALK was a series of walks, promenades, marches and strolls in and around Sydney, opening up opportunities for artists to engage with new sites and audiences. These artist-led projects occurred across the year in a range of locations. Karen Therese’s Waterloo Girls took us through the backstreets of Waterloo. Jen Hamilton’s Walking in the Rain was a very enjoyable walk along the Cook’s River. Sarah Rodigari’s Strategies for Leaving and Arriving Home saw Sarah walk from Melbourne to Sydney (we were invited to join her for any part of the walk). Within & Without, a project of Deborah Pollard, Paschal Berry and the Anino Shadowplay Collective was presented at Blacktown Arts Centre. Sarah Waterson’s Laika’s Derive invited dog owners to record their dog’s walk through photos and data collection. Green Bans Art Walk, a project of Big Fag Press, Cross Art Projects and Fiona MacDonald, retraced the struggle of 1970s Woolloomooloo, Darlinghurst and Kings Cross and the impact of the Green Bans and how they revolutionised urban planning and ideas. Lily Hibberd and WART presented Benevolent Asylum, a walk around Lavender Bay about asylum and confinement. And Di Smith’s House Work took audiences on a walking tour through the private spaces of artists’ homes in the inner city suburbs of Redfern. A publication that bring together texts about and documentation of all the WALK projects will be launched in the first half of 2012.

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

In October, we held the third and final IndigeLab residential laboratory at Bundanon. Managed by Erica McCalman, and co-facilitated by Andrea James and Marilyn Miller, IndigeLab 2011 brought together nine Indigenous artists to work across disciplines and be challenged within a supportive, stimulating and Indigenousspecific environment. While IndigeLab won’t continue in its current format, Performance Space was successful in securing support for IndigeSpace, which provides residencies for mid-career Indigenous artists, and will be managed by Indigenous Projects Officer Alison Murphy-Oates. Supported creative developments were offered to Andrea James and Sarah-Jane Norman in 2011, and we will offer another two development periods in 2012. Residencies were again offered in Track 8 and Track 12, and with residency partners Critical Path, Performance Studies at Sydney University, and IO Myers Studio at NSW University. Artists included: Branch Nebula; Georgie Read; David Lawrey and Jaki Middleton; Vicki Van Hout; Dean Walsh; Applespiel; Pascal Daantos Berry, Deborah Pollard and Anino Shadowplay Collective; Martin del Amo; Latai Taumoepeau, Justin Shoulder; Peta Clancy and Helen Pynor; Theatre Kantanka; Team Mess; My Darling Patricia; Whale Chorus, and Toby Knyvett. Performance Space also undertook a residency with BankArt in Yokohama with artist, Sarah Goffman and Associate Director, Bec Dean. We hosted our first ‘Thinker-inResidence’ Joshua Sofaer, a UK-based artist known for his socially engaged practice who spent a month exploring his interest in how artists can be cultural leaders (supported by a Fellowship Grant from the Clore Leadership Program in the UK). This tied-in with our collaboration with Field Theory which also focuses on artists-as-leaders as part of the Live Art Cultural Leadership Initiative. Field Theory ran a series of Durational Lattes including small discussions, screenings, and network events.

A number of professional development opportunities were offered in 2011. The Teachers’ Club events were built around Performance Space’s artistic program, providing teachers with an insight into the creative process of the artists we work with. Workshops were held by Deborah Kelly, Anino Shadowplay Collective, My Darling Patricia and Lily Hibberd. We also presented a professional development day for artists at NORPA in Lismore, in partnership with Performing Lines and as part of the MAPS initiative. After a long and beautiful relationship with Boccalatte, the design company led by Suzanne Boccalatte and our exclusive designer of over 10 years, we branched out and collaborated with Blood and Thunder, a company known for their hand crafting, DIY aesthetic and graphic quality. This is proving to be a great match for Performance Space, but we are still enjoying the strategic input of Boccalatte who drive the design for our website and all EDM. We also continued to work with The Nest as a corporate sponsor for our database that drives our digital marketing strategies, and key aspects of our online interface. We were delighted to welcome Lisa Havilah as the new CEO for Carriageworks, who started in February 2011, and worked closely with her and her staff throughout the year on our three seasons presented in the building. We ran a successful annual appeal, thanks to the very generous support of an incredible group of individuals. Their names are all listed on our website, and we remain truly indebted to their generosity. We were also grateful for the ongoing support of our primary funders — the Interarts Office of the Australia Council and Arts NSW.

Bec Dean and Jeff Khan Co-Directors & CEOs

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

Adam Norton Ahilan Ratnamohan Alan Davies Alana Valentine Alex Davies Alexandra Harrison Ali Kadhim Alice Gage Alice Hinde Alicia Talbot Alison Currie Alvaro Cassinelli Andrea James Andrew Cruz Angela Conquet Anna Munster

Charles Anderson Chris Abrahams Chris Ryan Chris Twyman Christine Peacock Claire Edwards Claire Hicks Clare Britton Claudia Escobar Claudia Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Doherty Claudia Perren Clytie Smith Colin Kinchela Damien Ricketson Daniel Mudie Cunningham

Elizabeth Ryan Ella Barclay Ella Mudie Emma McManus Emma Ramsay Emma Saunders Emma Maye Gibson Eric Avery Erwin Fenis Esther Cheung Eugene Carchesio Fernando Quesada Fiona Foley Fiona MacDonald Frank Mainoo Fukno

James Brown James Cunningham James Harney James Saunders Jane McKernan Jane Smith Janie Gibson Jason Maling Jason Noble Jennifer Hamilton Jo Holder Jo Law Jo Lawlor Joe Szabo Joel Fenton

Gabrielle Nankivell Gail Priest Gavin Clarke Georgie Read Ghenoa Gela Giles Thackway Guy Harding Halcyon McLeod Hami James Harrell Fletcher Hayden Fowler Heidrun Lohr Helen Pynor Henrietta Baird Henry Kember Hirofumi Uchino Honey Spence Ian Colless Ian Haig Imogen Cranna Irving Gregory Ivan Ruhles Jada Alberts Jaime Leonardo Jake Deegan Jaki Middleton

Joey Ruigrok Van der Werven John DiStefano John Douglas Jondi Keane Joseph Parro Joshua Sofaer Joshua Craig Josie Cavallero Joyce Hinterding Julia Holderness Julie-Anne Long Justin Shoulder Kameliah Dungay Karen Berger Karen Therese Kate Kinx Kate MacDonald Katherine Beckett Katia Molino Katie Beckett Kay Armstrong Keg De Souza Keith Gallasch Kenneth Moraleda Kenzee Patterson

2011 ARTISTS Annalouise Paul Anne Kay Anne Niemetz Antonia Baehr Atlanta Eke Aunty Kaye Hookey Aunty Rhonda Dixon Grovenor Baki Kocaballi Barbara Campbell Barry Brook Bastian Trost Becca Wood Becs Riley Ben Corbett Benedict Anderson Berit Stumpf Bindi Cole Brian Fuata Bridget Dolan Brigid Jackson Bryan Geansler Bryony Anderson Carlos Gomes Carol Brown Carol Dilley

Danielle Wilde Danielle Micich Dara Gill Darren Jorgenson Datu Arellano David Buckley David Capra David dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Silva David Haines David Williams David Lawrey Dean Cross Dean Walsh Deanne Butterworth Deborah Kelly Deborah Pollard Debra Beale Di Smith Diego Bonetto Don Nichols Don Maralit Salubayba Donna Hewitt Eddie Sharp Eiichi Tosaki Elias Constapedos

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

Kenzie Larsen Kiarna Dungay Kingsley Reeve Kirk Page Kym Vercoe Lara Thoms Latai Taumoepeau Lawrence Wallen Leanne Haines Lee Wilson Leeke Griffin Leigh Rigozzi LeRoy Parsons Lian Loke Liessel Zink Lily Hibberd

Mary-Anne Williams Mat Hand Matt Prest Matthew Day Matthew Tumbers Maude Davey MC Gaff E Mel Tyquin Melanie Palomares Melissa Hunt Michael Hugill Michele Barker Michelle Blackeney Michelle Outram Mikie Inglis Mini Graff

Paul Blenheim Paul Gazzola Paul Prestipino Peta Clancy Peter Banki Phil Downing Phillip Brophy Pia Van Gelder Rachel Roberts Raghav Handa Rajni Shah Rayma Johnson Rev Kriss Hades Richard Allen Robin Whitmore Rodney Nash

Simone Mandl Simone Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien Soda_Jerk Soloman Thomasa Stephen Russell Sue Healey Teik-Kim Pok Tess De Quincey Thea Brejzek Tim Darbyshire Tim Gruchy Tina Hookey Toby Knyvett Todd Robinson Tom Melick Tony Keeble

Lily Shearer Linda Luke Lisa Duff Lizzie Muller Louis Burdett Louise Anderson Lucas Abela Lucas Ihlein Lucia Lie Malcolm Whittaker Manuel Vason Margel Hinder Margie Medlin Marian Abboud Marilyn Fairskye Marilyn Miller Marion Marrison Mark Hill Mark Rogers Mark Titmarsh Marley Grovenor Marnie Palomares Marten Spangberg Martin Del Amo Martyn Coutts Mary Moore

Mirabelle Wouters Miranda Wheen Miriam Mlecek Ms&Mr Nadia Cusimano Nakkiah Lui Nancy Wijohn Narayana Tosaki Narelle Benjamin Narretha Williams Nat Randall Nathan Harrison Neil Simpson Nicholas Tsoutas Nick Coyle Nick Wishart Nicola Conibere Niharika Senapati Nikki Heywood Nikki Kennedy Origami Girls Oslo Davis Paschal Daantos Berry Pat Armstrong Pat Fiske

Rosalee Pearson Ross Ganf Ross Harley Ryuichi Fujimura Sam Routledge Sam Smith Sam Spurr Sam Chester Samuel James Sarah Goffman Sarah Miller Sarah Rodigari Sarah Thom Sarah Waterson Sarah-Jane Norman Sean Bacon Sean Patten Sebastian Bark Shane Haseman Shelley Lassica Shian Law Sime Knezevic Simon Binns Simon Casson Simon Will Simon Yates

Tony Yap Troy Reid Tyrone Robinson Valerie Berry Venettia Miller Vicki van Hout Victoria Hunt Victoria Spence Vincent Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor Virginia Baxter WART WeiZen Ho Willoh S. Weiland Wilson da Silva Yana Taylor Yumi Umiumare

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

THANKS

MAJOR GIFTS AND BEQUESTS Stephen Cummins Bequest INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTERS Susan Donnelly Samuel James, Sandy Saxon Gail Priest Julieanne Campbell Henry Davis York Bec Dean Paul & Jennifer Winch Fiona Winning Deborah Kelly Ben and Susie Strout Paul Gazzola Lucy Guerin David Clarkson Andrew Carriline Chris Ryan Ian Enright & Linda Quartermass Rosalind Richards Julia Holderness Nat Randall Talya Rubin William Lewis Jeff Khan Barbara Campbell Dean Walsh Annemarie Dalziel Mark Stapleton Soraya Asmar Yana Taylor

Emma Dean Helen Bauer Edward Sheer Kate Barnet Martin Calvey Daniel Brine Jann Kohlman Joey Ruigrok van der Werven Mathew Ibanez Clare Grant Sarah Miller Derek Kreckler Clare Petre Sherman Foundation Sarah Waterson Rebecca Chan Amy Barrett-Lennard J Maling David Williams Angharad Wynne-Jones Leon Fink Meme Thorne Finley MacLeod Meredith Brooks Clark Butler Many individual supporters prefer to remain anonymous. Performance Space thanks you for your generosity.

PARTNERS IN 2011 Ampersand Magazine ArtSpace Arts House BankArt Big Fag Press CAOs City of Sydney Critical Path Cross-Art Projects Fact Tree Youth Centre Firstdraft Depot Force Majeure Gob Squad Malthouse Mobile States Museum of Contemporary Art National Art School NORPA Performing Lines Perth Insititue of Contemporary Art RealTime ReelDance RIAUS Stalker Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras University of NSW University of Sydney Version 1.0 Waterloo Women and Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Centre

MAJOR PROGRAM SUPPORTERS IN 2011 Arts NSW Australia Council Blacktown Arts Centre Bundanon Trust The Keir Foundation Sidney Myer Fund Sydney Festival The Sydney Opera House University of Technology, Sydney CORPORATE SUPPORTERS IN 2011 Carriageworks The Nest DESIGN Blood & Thunder WEBSITE Boccalatte

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

2011 FINANCIALS

Performance Space Annual Report 2011

PERFORMANCE SPACE Carriageworks 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW 2015

POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 461, Newtown NSW 2042 Phone 02 8571 9111 info@performancespace.com.au performancespace.com.au

ELSEWHERE... Join our fan page on Facebook Follow us @pspace on Twitter Watch us at vimeo.com/performancespace

IMAGE CREDITS Inside front and back cover: Cross Art Projects and Big Fag Press with Fiona McDonald, Green Bans Art Walk 2011. Photo: Alex Wisser Front and back cover: Lily Hibberd and WART, Benevolent Asylum, Just for Fun 2011. Photo: Alex Wisser Page 5: Briwyant Photo: Marian Abboud Page 11: Awfully Wonderful Photo: Garth Knight Page 12: Bargain Garden Photo: Heidrum Lohr

Performance Space Annual Report 2011