Parkour
Trace Elements is a diverse group of athletes, artists, performers and masters of movement. Leading practitioners in parkour, freerunning, L’art du Deplacement and professional stunts, Trace Elements has worked overseas and extensively in Australia in forms ranging from live performances and demonstrations, music video clips, performing as a street team, television commercials, corporate events and feature films.
Blink Dance Theatre was established by a group of contemporary dance & theatre makers and has now expanded to include a broad team of multidisciplinary artists from movement, theatre, new media and design backgrounds. Our central aim is to develop a platform for professional artists to continue making high calibre work in the Geelong and Surf Coast region.
Postcard image by Andrew Barkley
Artwork by Glenn Romanis
Malcolm McKinnon is an artist and filmmaker working mainly in rural communities. Over the past 15 years, his work has encompassed oral history, urban planning, public and community art projects and exhibitions. His current practice is mainly focused around documentary filmmaking and social history.
Frozen Gumleaves for Connecting Identities launch by Donna Jackson
Donna is a conceptual artist. She works in the mediums of landscape art, site specific performance and events. She has recently moved into working with the medium of ice. Donna’s process of working involves collaboration with community members to develop partnerships where interesting art can be fostered.
Since graduating first from the Elder Conservatorium, Adelaide and then Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Brisbane, Manfred has been active as a performer, teacher, and conductor and is currently the Director of Music (Performance) at Kardinia International College, Geelong. Manfred has performed a number of principal roles since further studying in the USA with Daniel Ferro of the prestigious Julliard School of Music, New York City: Valentin, Fiorello, Dr Bartolo and Schiarrone (Opera Queensland), Papageno, Leporello, Silvio and Schaunard (Princeton Opera, USA), Zuniga (State Opera South Australia) and Miles Banter QC (Spring Festival Pt Fairy),Alfio (Melbourne City Opera). In addition, he has performed an extensive repertoire of Oratorio including: Messiah, Mozart C minor Mass, Mozart Requiem, Bach Weinachts Oratorium (Qld Choral Society), Faure Requiem, Bach Cantata No 82: Ich Habe Genug (Queensland State and Municipal Choir), Deutsches Requiem (University of Qld Choral Society) and Elijah (Princeton Choral Society), Haydn Stabat Mater (St Pauls, Geelong). Most recently, Manfred has performed with Melbourne Opera and Melbourne City Opera in productions including the highly acclaimed Barber of Seville (Dr Bartolo), Il Corsaro (Seid) (La Traviata (Germont Senior), Rigoletto (Title role) Madame Butterfly (General Bonz), Pearl Fishers (Zurga) and Le Nozze di Figaro (Count Almaviva).
http://www.morethanopera.com/artists/manfred-pohlenz-2/
2009 Story Vessel for Brownbill Ward
Victoria Edgar is an award winning Australian artist and prolific maker of superbly crafted sterling silver and gold jewellery. Victoria specialises in bespoke, one off commissioned sculpture, jewellery and body sculpture (Bodiware) for weddings, formal occasions, films, theatre, haute couture, fashion parades and everyday wear - her designs are dramatic and show her distinctive flair for creating strong yet sensuous works of Art that come alive on the wearer.
2009 Story Vessel for Cowie Ward
Jacinta Leitch found her passion for the arts very early and it outweighed other career choices, her only true ambition to become an artist. She studied Fine Art/Sculpture at RMIT for insight and technical skills and found inspiration in many facets of her life and surroundings, with the femininity and fluidity of her designs drawn particularly from her years as a dancer. Jacinta conducts workshops and private sculpting classes and her work is available through various galleries in the region. She enjoys the challenges of undertaking commission based projects both private and corporate.
Story Vessel for Buckley Ward
Julie Shaw is a potter works from a home studio making pots that can be handled and used. Her first love has been making hand built teapots. However in recent years has been making larger pieces not for use and enjoys working with kelp in trying to work out its shrinking vagaries.
2009 Story Vessel for Corio ward
My work ranges from landscape sculptures in timber and metal to graphic design, painting and music. I have been commissioned by many communities throughout Geelong and enjoy these kinds of collaborations. My work usually has an environmental theme as its inspiration.
Story Vessel for Deakin Ward
Shelley has been working as a visual artist since completing her first degree (BFA) in 1989. Her work is often described as metaphorical and common themes explored in her art have been ‘identity with place’ and ‘the transcient nature of life’. Over the years she has worked in the mediums of Painting, Mixed Media and Sculpture and has a particular interest in working with colour and pattern. She has also studied Art Therapy and Art Education at postgraduate level and has worked extensively in these fields.
“I am keen to work with the community of Deakin Ward as an artist as I live in this area, spent years studying and working at Deakin University and have watched the ward change. I look forward to learning more, through talking to people who know this area in other ways.”
2009 Story Vessel for Kardinia Ward
I completed my T.O.P (Foundation Year in Art) at the Gordon in 1986 and then went on to finish a Bachelor of Arts (Applied Art) majoring in Sculpture at Deakin University, Warrnambool in 1990. This provided a solid foundation for my art practice. I now live and work in Maude and teach art and design locally. I am looking forward to working with the community of the Kardinia Ward interpreting their memories, thoughts and feelings into a sculptural form.
www.reneinei.com
2009 Story Vessel for Kildare Ward
My artistic career spans 30 years and I have work represented in major collections that include the Australian National Gallery, Canberra; Gallery of NSW and Artbank. I have been a resident of Geelong for 10 years and in 2007 was commissioned by the City of Greater Geelong to produce the St Leonards 150th anniversary Commemorative sculpture (titled ‘Coles Journey’). The subject of ‘Belonging’ and ‘Place’ are common themes in my artwork. This project ’Connecting Identities’ is a unique opportunity to reflect on this subject with the privilege of local knowledge, shared experience and the promise of a deeper insight as to who we are as individuals and community.
2009 Story Vessel for Cheetham Ward
Originally from Geelong, this Surf Coast artist creates distinctive metalwork sculptures. Inspired by her natural environment, Cinnamon enjoys incorporating flowing lines, spirals, copper embellishment and a touch of whimsy to her creations. Successfully living from her artwork for close to 20 years, Cinnamon has experienced many facets of the artworld by producing a cultural newsletter for 11 years, reviewing art exhibitions for the Geelong Advertiser, owning an art gallery for 2 1/2 years, encouraging emerging artists, and artistically collaborating with communities and schools.
"I am looking forward to working with the inspiration gleaned from my designated community of Cheetham, and creating a story vessel to be utilised in the mouth to mountain project 2009." Cinnamon Stephens
2009 Story Vessel for Windermere Ward
Born in Geelong artist Nicole Thompson has embraced the Connecting Identities Story Vessel project with enthusiasm for the themes of ‘story telling’ and the exploration of ‘a sense of place’. These are two themes central to her growing body of sculptural work, influenced by many years of living away from Geelong in diverse locations from remote Indigenous communities to the vibrancy and pace of Sydney.
“Returning to my hometown is like a rediscovery and it is exciting to see with fresh eyes that which would have previously been overlooked had I not left and returned after some time. I have thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the community within Windermere ward and hearing their personal stories of connection to their place”.
The Connecting Identities project has also created an opportunity for Nicole to continue to collaborate artistically with the large talent pool of local Indigenous artists. Helen Brotherton has eagerly applied both her local knowledge and contemporary painting techniques to contribute an uplifting, colourful and contemporary Indigenous design for the Windermere Story Vessel.
2009 Story Vessel for Beangala Ward
My work has always had something of Zen about it. Not "simple", but I like to keep it uncluttered. I like texture. Surface and form stand out for me. Sometimes I despair at the amount of talk about Art. The visual arts are for looking at - they shouldn't need an explanation. But this work is part of a much broader scheme. Music, stories and peoples' event as well as sculpture. My hope is for a sculpture that works as a part of this larger event and also stands and speaks for itself, in its own way. I hope that people will be able to look at my sculpture and get a sense of the water, the tides, the dunes, the river with it's bridge, the farms and towns and the lifestyle we enjoy - all that is Beangala.
2009 Story Vessel for Austen Ward
I have been working been working as a teacher and a visual artist since coming to Australia 35 years ago. Since 1985 I have returned to study to refine my skills in ceramics and sculpture, been involved in over 70 exhibitions and an artist on 20 community art projects, locally and as far away as Western Australia. This project has connected me with the Whittington Community Centre and the Geelong Invitation Homing Pigeon Club. Neither group has worked with an artist before and they seem excited about the process of collectively making a potent and lasting statement about their communities.
2009 Story Vessel for Coryule Ward
Site Specific Art has completed many sculptural installations locally, Australia wide and internationally. Victor Cebergs project manages all aspects of the design and implementation process. Viktor believes that including the community in all stages of the design process helps to foster a strong ownership and connection to the public art piece. In turn helping them find relevance in the history of the places they live, and the people and culture that came before them. Working in the Coryule ward will be really interesting, the area has such a rich histories and many community groups. They have all shown real interest in the project and a strong passion for their ancestry and the environment in which they live.
www.sitespecificart.com.au
I graduated from the Victorian College of the arts, specializing in the double bass. I’m also a recording engineer and music instructor. Keel-la, written for CONNECTING IDENTITIES, is a short musical piece that highlights the tension between the present and the past, flight and repetition, arrival and yearning. The city of Geelong is in the process of change, of re-assessing past identities. Keel-la (the word for walk in Wathaurong) seeks to give voice to some of these elements. At times the music hints at flight and yet the rhythmic repitition refrains it. The indigenous sounds seek to harmonise with the contempory and vice versa. The sung melody (Kella-walk) floats a voice from above, time to walk, time to slow down, time to reflect.
Distillation Installation by Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas has exhibited in 17 different countries over a 20 year period in art spaces, non art contexts and in the landscape. His work addresses ecology and the confluence of man made and natural systems, forms and spaces. Media includes installation, sculpture, photography and video. He has also durated and directed various artist initiated events such as “The Bridge” (Construction in process VI) in 1998, and the Australian Pavilion at the “Satellite” project coinciding with the 2006 Shanghai Biennale. He has participated in artist’s residencies in Okinawa, Belfast, Spain, the Netherlands and New York. For more information please go to www.richardthomas.com.au
Philip Lethlean has designed lighting for over 250 original Australian productions in his 30+ year career. Working in collaboration with diverse creative teams, Philip has lit productions across all genres from theatre, opera, ballet, concerts, puppetry, circus, and comedy, both within Australia and Internationally.
