VILLAGE
Junction Festival September 8-11, 2016
VILLAGE is an immersive audio installation created over twelve months in collaboration with the residents of retirement communities in Launceston, Tasmania.
VILLAGE takes you past the manicured lawns and behind the lace curtains to find out what life in a retirement village is really like.
Tasmania’s population is the oldest in Australia and it’s ageing the fastest. While the media prints headlines about the state’s immanent transformation into a “retirement island” VILLAGE asks, “Would that really be such a bad thing?” VILLAGE sits within a context of significant social change and at its heart the project seeks to foster intergenerational empathy and connection. Through an audio-documentary that shares the stories older people and participatory events that bring a younger audience into the world of retirement village living VILLAGE is a gesture towards how intergenerational connection within our communities might begin.
In conjunction the audio installation, two satellite events were run as part of Junction Festival. Let's Talk About Death, was an advanced care directive workshop for all ages produced in collaboration with Palliative Care Tasmania and Common Ground was a intergenerational afternoon tea connecting older and younger female leaders within the local community.
VILLAGE is the second part of a planned trilogy of works that explore ageing in contemporary Australia. The first part of this series, HOME was presented at Next Wave Festival 2014.
Credits
- Brienna Macnish
- lead artist, creative producer, writer
- Clare McCracken
- key collaborator, visual designer
- Robert Jordan
- key collaborator, sound designer, composer, technology designer
- Darren West
- local coordinator and front of house manager
- Ellie Redden
- front of house attendant
- Mat Carey
- operator
- Lusy Productions
- photography
- Andrew Ferris
- photography, image 10
Thanks
VILLAGE would not have been possible without the generous contributions of the residents of Launceston’s retirement villages who participated in the project. We would like to thank Jenny Barker, Barbara Mary Campbell, Faith Layton, Tony McCormack, Kryne Meerman, Barbara Mansfield, Josephine Nicholson, Pam Saville, Art van der Hek, Karia Wicks and all the residents who have chosen to remain anonymous.
We would like to extend our special thanks to Margot Martin, Jenni and Tom Rush and Albert Sidebotham.
Media
Piia Wirsu, “Junction Arts Festival VILLAGE installation puts elderly front and centre”, The Examiner, 2 September 2016
Sarah Aquilina "VILLAGE at Junction”, The Examiner, 13 August 2016
Emily Baker, “Artist focuses on ageing”, The Examiner 4 September 2015
"Art Project reflects on ageing in contemporary Australia", Australian Ageing Agenda, 31 August 2016
VILLAGE has been commissioned by Junction Arts Festival and has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. This project is also supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria. Our project partners are, Word of Mouth Technology Melbourne, All About Gardens Launceston, and BMW Launceston, our venue partner.