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Multi-media artists appointed as Barangaroo’s first Artistic Associates

Announcement posted by Access Public Relations 29 Apr 2016

The Barangaroo Delivery Authority is delighted to announce the first public art commission under its Artistic Associates Program, with the selection of nationally renowned multi-media artists and curators, Genevieve Grieves and Amanda Reynolds. 

The Artistic Associates Program is a multi-disciplinary artist-in-residence program designed to capture moments in time and deepen the experience of Barangaroo.

Grieves and Reynolds are Aboriginal artists who will collaborate on a year-long project to deliver a suite of short films that will be accessible to visitors to Barangaroo Reserve through mobile devices.

The project will have a focus on women and will undertake extensive community consultation with Elders and members of Cammeraygal, Gadigal, and other members of the Eora Nation and neighbours, resulting in dynamic and engaging multi-media installation to deeply enhance the experience of the site.

Gabrielle Trainor, Chair of the Authority’s Art and Cultural Panel, said: “We are thrilled to have selected Genevieve Grieves and Amanda Jane Reynolds to be the first artistic associates at Barangaroo.

“From a very strong field, their response to our invitation stood out for its firm base in cultural engagement with Elders, our Indigenous communities and neighbours, and for the quality of the two major underpinning concepts. They resonate deeply with the strong presence of the Cammeraygal woman, Barangaroo, and the ancient history of the site.

“Over about the next year, their engagement process will itself determine the creation of a multi-media work. Amanda and Genevieve’s experience in producing moving and meaningful poetic pieces, reflecting Aboriginal traditions of storytelling and ceremony, makes us very excited about the months ahead.

“The results will be an outstanding celebration of the world’s oldest living culture combined with the new, as is the Barangaroo precinct itself,” said Trainor.

Artist, Amanda Reynolds said: “We are extremely excited to offer audiences who may never have had the opportunity to connect with Aboriginal culture the chance to learn about the site’s namesake. We’re inspired to bring the community together to honour the Old Lady, Barangaroo, as well as all the women who came after and those yet to come.”

The installation will grow and evolve through the process of community collaboration, as the artists respond to and capture the essence of the Barangaroo site and its place in Sydney.

Artist, Genevieve Grieves said: “Film and multi-media are such powerful mediums for furthering Aboriginal culture and strengthening cultural traditions, as storytelling through these channels allows us to capture people, sounds and light to convey the place of Country.”

The artists have previously collaborated on the highly-acclaimed First Peoples exhibition at the Melbourne Museum, which opened in November 2013 and was awarded the Best Exhibition and Best Project nationwide at the Museums and Galleries Australia National Awards in 2014.

The commission is the first of a series of Artistic Associate commissions to be announced under the Barangaroo Public Art and Cultural Plan, a strategic framework for the Barangaroo Delivery Authority and its development partners to guide the commissioning and management of public art across the precinct. The Plan establishes the framework for a multi-million dollar investment in public art and cultural programing at Barangaroo.

The first public art commission under the Plan was an art installation, Shell Wall 2015 by local Aboriginal artists Esme Timbery and Jonathan Jones, which is now in place on the exterior of the Alexander residential building on Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo South.

The awarding of this first Artistic Associates commission to Amanda Reynolds and Genevieve Grieves follows the Authority’s invitation for proposals from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers and multi-media artists for moving image or sound-based artworks to enable Barangaroo visitors and audiences to experience and appreciate the Aboriginal significance of the site, in its past, present and future settings.

It is expected that there will be further Artistic Associate commissions for artists to work with the Authority and Lendlease to provide specialist advice, develop new works and facilitate professional development and/or offer residential or studio opportunities at Barangaroo.

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For more information on the Barangaroo Art and Cultural Plan, visit: http://www.barangaroo.com/discover-barangaroo/arts-and-culture/public-art-and-culture-plan.aspx

For media inquiries, contact:
Sarah Shields, Access PR, 02 9292 7007 | 0408 283 091 | sarah@accesspr.com.au
Emma Reyes, Access PR, 02 9292 7006 | 0424 425 813 | emmar@accesspr.com.au