Community Minded

Also vailable on the Web – http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/radioeye

Is the wilderness still wild, when the urban din intrudes?

That’s the question filmmaker and radio producer Sean O’Brien set out to answer when he entered the ‘Special Area’, a highly protected wilderness area deep within the world heritage listed Blue Mountains. A mere 60 kms from Sydney’s CBD, it is the world’s largest stand of wilderness so close to a major city. Aside from its heritage values, this wilderness area serves a critical function in the life of the city: the 9,000 square kms ‘Special Area’ acts as a natural water filter for the city’s water supply. And as water becomes as precious as oil, so the ‘Special Area’ is subject to high protection, while being under serious threat as the city’s footprint encroaches on all fronts. The red tiled roofs of the housing estates have crept over the rolling hills to the very borders of the ‘Area’.

Lured by the bush, the city dwellers come, illegally, in 4WDs and on trail bikes, to just “look around”, or to tear up the earth, to hunt feral pigs, to shoot under cover of darkness, and to engage in unspecified ‘wild activity’! Accessing the ‘Special Area’ is the closest today’s “nanny-state” generation can get to the wild frontier, but any actions, no matter how apparently harmless, can have serious consequences in this delicate ecosystem.

Sean O’Brien: “In ‘Locked gate, Loaded Gun’ I’m exploring the conflicts between heritage values, functionality and the recreational use of the bush. Walking through the mountains, I met with pig hunters, dirt bikers, and the rangers who chase them, as well as fearless conservationists, and a legendary farmer who has lived in the area for eighty years, witnessing all the changes.”

Contributions are invited from art practitioners who have been and are currently involved in Artist Run Initiatives (ARIs) for ARTPORT 2005.

ARTPORT 2005 is a part archive, publication and web based project that is designed to stimulate discussion and awareness of ARIs, alternate spaces, temporary, site-specific projects and other artist led projects within Sydney and NSW. It also aims to promote the integrity and diverse philosophies of individual spaces.

This project will culminate in a downloadable PDF publication which will map, locate and illustrate a venue’s activities and demonstrate artistic experimentation and change. As a document freely available from the ARTPORT website that can be printed out by individuals from their personal computer, this information will be a highly accessible and easily distributed resource.

ARTPORT 2005 provides opportunities for alternate ways of seeing and engaging with the diversity of the philosophical foundations of spaces. It does this by being inclusive, seeking and collating information directly from the individuals who are and who have been involved in ARIs. The publication will be launched at a forum in which contributors will be asked to present their view and details of their project to the arts and broader community.

For further information and ARTPORT 2005 publication brief, including questionnaire and guidelines, please contact Aaron Seeto email aaronseeto2000[at]yahoo.com

ARTPORT is a network and annual event that promotes and supports NSW ARIs. For further information please go to http://www.artportaustralia.info.

ARTPORT 2005 is supported by Museums & Galleries NSW and the City of Sydney Council

In conjunction with Phatspace’s ongoing new media projects; Ate and the Phatspace Video Library, we are excited to announce our first International Video Art Juried Show. We are seeking to exhibit a collection of new video works from both national and international emerging artists.

All works submitted will be assessed by a judging panel consisting of artists, curators, gallerists, critics and peers. 8 works will be awarded “Best in Show” and will feature in a 3 week exhibition at Phatspace, all expenses paid. The winning artists will also feature on a DVD publication that will accompany the show.

All works submitted will be archived into the Phatspace Video Library, which is a viewing lounge for new media arts open to the public during gallery hours. This resource is often used by curators, students, artists and members of the public and is an excellent opportunity to get your work seen. If someone is interested in your work we will put them directly in contact with you.

If you are an artist working with video/new media art then we want to see your work! Send a show reel on either DVD or Video formats (PAL please!) along with a short bio and a paragraph or two about your work.

The postmark deadline is 1 August 2005. The judges decision is final and the 8 exhibiting artists will be notified early September.

The exhibition will run from 27 October to 12 November 2005.

Phatspace is an artist run space located in the heart of Sydney’s (Australia) Darlinghurst area.

For more information and an entry form (pdf) please visit our website: www.phatspace.com