Twin Peaks: Our Artist-in-Residence Program

‘I go out there on the veranda just looking at this country – it’s beautiful. Being here has been so idyllic.’

– Archie Roach AM

‘It’s got a very calming energy about it. We know the world’s going on out there, but everything feels a bit easier to deal with. It’s like the land is helping us to do what we’re doing. It’s talking to us. And really – that view, it’s kind of extraordinary, it really is. That’s Australia – they are the colours of the Australian summer, in all its glory, I would say. That’s as good as it gets.’

– Paul Grabowsky AO

A five-minute drive up the road from the Cultural Centre takes you to a place of quiet contemplation, offering clear unobstructed views that stretch as far and as wide as the eye can see. Twin Peaks – our bespoke artist accommodation and rehearsal studio – sits adjacent to the Mount Barker Summit. This district is recognised as one of the most significant sacred sites for Indigenous people near Adelaide, with strong connections to the Peramangk and Ngarrindjeri peoples. It was opened up for farming in the mid nineteenth century and the Twin Peaks property has had a long history as sheep and cattle grazing land. It is our intention to return the twenty-nine-hectare property back to nature, increasing the biodiversity and habitat values for native flora and fauna and enhancing the nature experience for guests. In a moment of perfect serendipity, the property came up for sale in 2015, shortly before construction on the UKARIA Cultural Centre was completed. It was purchased by Ulrike Klein AO and subsequently gifted to UKARIA in 2019. The main house contains six bedrooms and three bathrooms, along with a spacious kitchen and dining area and two separate lounge rooms. On the lower level is a retreat space for yoga and meditation and an additional selfcontained suite that includes a bedroom,

bathroom and kitchenette. Floor to ceiling windows throughout offer a breathtaking panorama of the Adelaide Hills.

Behind the house is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage that has been extended to include an exquisite new rehearsal studio designed by Anton Johnson in close collaboration with acoustician Cameron Hough (ARUP). UKARIA strives to become known as a place where new work is born and where artist-led collaborations result in new ideas, new experiences and extraordinary outcomes. Through our residency program with the Australia Council for the Arts, UKARIA provides opportunities for high-calibre artists to think, develop, collaborate and create. In 2021 we will extend our program, providing new opportunities for artists. There are also plans to establish a masterclass program to support and inspire young artists.

Photo: Dylan Henderson

New Work Developed in Residence 2015–2020

Deborah Cheetham: Eumeralla Prelude (premiered at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, 2016)

William Barton: Square Circles in the Sand (premiered at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, 2016)

Lachlan Skipworth: Echoes and Lines (premiered at the Perth Festival, 2017)

Stephen Pigram: Minybal (premiered at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, 2017)

Lou Bennett: Resting Among the Treetops (premiered at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, 2017)

Ursula Yovich: Dubboo (premiered at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, 2018)

Katy Abbott: Hidden Thoughts

Gordon Hamilton and Tom Thum: Rosella Resurrection

Paul Kelly, James Ledger, the Serahim Trio and Alice Keath: Thirteen Ways to Look at Birds (premiered at the Adelaide Festival, 2019)

Nick Wales and Shun Ito: Kinetic Wonderland

Archie Roach and Paul Grabowsky: Tell Me Why

Andrew Schultz: Dark Well

Thomas Meadowcroft: So Long Country