Green Room: From the sublime to the barbarous
SA arts & culture news in brief: Local creatives bound for South Korea with BÁRBAROS, line-up released for Vitalstatistix’s national art hothouse, a book swap at the State Library, key dates for Fringe artists, and opportunities with Illuminate Adelaide.
BÁRBAROS on the world stage
A team of South Australian creatives and performers are heading to South Korea with a work that weaves together dance, sound and visual art/design in what is described as a “highly visceral and poetic stage production”
BÁRBAROS, commissioned by the Adelaide Festival Centre and Brink Productions and presented by Adelaide independent dance company Limosani Projekts, was created by a team led by choreographer and director Lina Limosani, visual artist Thom Buchanan and sound designer Sean Williams. It takes its name from the Ancient Greek for barbarian, with the performance unfolding within a dramatic sci-fi landscape where it seeks to evoke myriad different emotions through exploring how the barbaric lurks within the hearts of the supposedly civilised.
The work was first performed at the Space Theatre last year (read our review here). The same three performers – ex-ADT dancers Anton, Jana Castillo and Rowan Rossi – will be travelling to South Korea alongside Limosani, Buchanan, production manager Ninian Donald and audio technician James Oborn to showcase BÁRBAROS to an international audience at the Seoul International Dance Festival on September 5 and Gunsan International Dance Festival on September 7.
A festival of ideas and an art party
More than 50 experimental and multidisciplinary artists will converge on Port Adelaide from September 6-8 to present works-in-progress at Vitalstatistix’s annual national hothouse Adhocracy.
With Adhocracy celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, program curators Jennifer Greer Holmes (Vitals’ recently appointed new artistic director) and Jason Sweeney have selected the 16 projects from the cohort of previous hothouse participants. They will explore themes including urban ecology, gender, community, resilience, family and resistance.
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Emma Beech will present Here We Are at the 2024 Adhocracy. Photo: Heath Britton
Among the South Australian artists presenting works are Ellen Steele with “a participatory riff on country dance” in See You at the Dance; Emma Beech with stand-up-comedy-storytelling-lecture experience Here We Are; Astrid Pill and Stephen Sheenhan with an “absurd, censor-less meditation on Pants”, and Jingwei Bu with Bloody Ink Play, her durational, ritualistic work exploring the flow of existence. Interstate performance-makers will include Sydney’s Branch Nebula, presenting the final work in a trilogy that started with the 2021 Adelaide Festival show High Performance Packing Tape.
Vitalstatistix describes Adhocracy as “a festival of ideas and an art party, prioritising provocation, exploration, and challenging work”. Greer Holmes says that for her, it is the immediacy and exchange of energy that is exciting.
“For people who aren’t artists, the invitation into an artwork happens when a show hits the public realm. And for others of us, we have the unique and privileged insight to take part in that process all the time because it’s our job. But to introduce audiences early, particularly audiences of artists; this is where Adhocracy shines.”
The full three-day program is available on the Vitalstatistix website.
The Great Book Swap
Book lovers can bolster their reading pile while at the same time supporting Indigenous literacy at the State Library of South Australia’s “Great Book Swap” on September 4.
The swap, running from 10am until 4pm, is part of Indigenous Literacy Day celebrations, with people invited to choose a book from the book stall in exchange for a note or a gold coin donation. The books – covering several trestle tables – are all donated and include a mixture of non-fiction, fiction, young adult, poetry and children’s titles.
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Money raised will be used by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation to provide new books to remote communities that often have no libraries or bookshops, with at least half of those books being by First Nations authors or illustrators.
“This event not only promotes literacy but also bridges the gap for children in remote Indigenous communities, ensuring they have access to the books and stories that can inspire and empower them,” says State Library director Geoff Strempel. “We’d love to see lots of people visit the library and help us to beat last year’s total of $1700.”
You can also support the cause by making a donation on The Great Book Swap website.
Counting down to Fringe
Artist registrations have opened this month the 2025 Adelaide Fringe, which is introducing a new genre dubbed Variety – “the home of drag, burlesque and shows with rotating line-ups”.
Registrations (here) must be completed before October 30 to ensure inclusion in the festival’s printed guide, although latecomers can still have their show listed in the online program.
Meanwhile, Fringe is hosting a “Meet the Venues” networking event on September 3 at the Latvian Hall in Wayville, where artists looking for venues and venues looking for artists can meet each other (registrations here).
Another date to keep in mind is September 10 – the deadline for applying for a grant through the Fringe Fund, which offers support of up to $5000 to help artists, producers and venues develop and mount a show or event.
And if you need further inspiration, check out the latest FringePOD podcast interview in which guests Thomas Gorham of Head First Acrobats and writer and comedian Jennifer Wong discuss their journeys “from the idea to the stage”.
Illuminating opportunities
Recent SA-based graduates are invited to submit a creative proposal for a new commission to form part of the Illuminate Adelaide program in 2025.
The fully funded project development opportunity is offered through the Illuminate Adelaide Graduate Pathway Program, supported by the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation, and is open to emerging artists working across all medium and art forms.
Applications (here) are open until September 22, after which Illuminate’s co-founders and creative directors will select up to three proposals for further pitch development, leading to a creative presentation.
Emerging and mid-career South Australian artists are also invited to apply for a new residency offered by Illuminate Adelaide and Washdog artist studio in Kent Town. The residency – also open for applications until September 22 – will offer a 12-month rent-free shared studio/office space, and is intended for artists looking to learn new digital skills to expand on their existing practice and ideas.
Green Room is a regular column for InReview, providing quick news for people interested, or involved, in South Australian arts and culture. Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]