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SPLENDID YOUNG ARTISTS TAKE TO THE LAB

Ten young and emerging artists will match up with ten established mentors through a pioneering new arts initiative, Splendid.

Splendid will see the ten artists develop ideas for new works at a three-week arts lab residency in Lismore in July 2009, with help from recognised senior practitioners. These concepts will be further developed over the following six-months with several finished works premiering at Splendour in the Grass in 2010.

Splendid is an initiative of the Australia Council for the Arts, Lismore Regional Gallery and Splendour in the Grass.

‘Splendid offers ten young and emerging artists the chance to immerse themselves in an intense residential laboratory experience that develops their arts practice,’ said Andrew Donovan, Director of the Australia Council’s Inter-Arts Office.

‘The best cutting-edge contemporary Australian art works developed through the labs are then showcased to an audience of more than 17,500 festival-goers at the Splendour in the Grass next year.’

Over 140 applications were received from young artists working in the visual arts, theatre, dance, design, installation, architecture, digital media, sound art, literature and community arts.

‘We’re extremely excited about the final selection – it was a tough job to round down the applications to just ten, however we have a great variety of talents we’re sure will not disappoint,’ said Jessica Ducrou, promoter of Splendour in the Grass.

The talented line up of young and emerging artists selected are: visual artist, Alice Lang; dancer, Kristy Ayre; contemporary and community artist, Shakthi Sivanathan; performance maker, Mish Grigor; cross art former, Dario Vacirca; visual new media artist, Lachlan Tetlow-Stuart; performer and sculptor, Lauren Brincat; multi-media artist, Daniel Tanner; visual artist, Carl Scrase and architect, Dominic Finlay-Jones.

The mentors are: hybrid performance artist and director, Deborah Pollard; Associate Director of Performance Space, Rebecca Conroy; Indigenous new media visual artist Jenny Fraser; arts activist, Mickie Quick; international designer/ technologist/ entrepreneur, Tom Barker; independent dance artist, Natalie Cursio; installation and sound artist, Domenico De Clario; theatre director, Julian Louis; architect and public arts practitioner, Tom Rivard; visual artist Craig Walsh; and net artist/ performer, Andy Forbes.

‘Lismore Regional Gallery, Splendour in the Grass music festival, NORPA – Northern Rivers Performing Arts, and Arts Northern Rivers have come together to create a space for innovation and new ideas. This is the most innovative project in regional Australia in 2009/ 10.’ said Steven Alderton, Director of Lismore Regional Gallery.