Bonemap - CONFLUX MEDIA RELEASE

Bonemap's Conflux project began as a mechanism for exchange between artists in the Asia Pacific region. Stemming from international involvement over a six-year period, Conflux is the latest project in a series to focus on engaging in critical debate, and interdisciplinary research at a fundamental level.

Questions of social, historic and environmental impact and of cultural identity and relevance bounce across 6,000km in an effort to embrace the blur of tradition, change and urbanisation implicit in contemporary lifestyle.

For Conflux, Australia's antipode European history and colonial influence became a catalyst and departure point for artists to engage in dialogue, stimulating idea sharing.

Visioning of this premise saw Conflux develop an imaginary geography, challenging perceptions and offering a broader perspective on isolationism, transience, postmodern and postcolonial rationale. It is the human condition, universal and the global that Conflux examines through the sentiment of individual, community and locale.

The complexity of multi-racial artists residing in Singapore and Australia amplified multiplicity of the global realm. Language, the usual barrier, tempered with the gestural in process, to experientially convene a holistic mind/body approach.

The artists in dialogue, process and practice encounter the body and space with the notion of dynamism and stasis in the micro/macro world. The body in/as site and the greater environment serve to reveal insight into Australian identity.

Sites chosen in Australia pinpoint the diversity of Far North Queensland's environs, which teeter in flux of progress. Ongoing urbanisation reflects the impact of humanity on natural environs as eco-tourism and the urban dream celebrates the reef, rainforest and savanna country.

By revealing a greater sense of place, Conflux grew an understanding of process and inclusion, raising awareness of the environment, culture, and the flux between them.

On the 15 September at the Cairns Esplanade, over 300 people observed the 90-minute sunset ‘Work – in – progress’ performance, which progressed to the Cairns Celebration of Film presentation. The promenade to the film festival outdoor screening saw a further 200 people participate in the performance as audience and view screen based components of the work. Cairns Esplanade is currently undergoing redevelopment, making access to the site intermittent as the site changed from day to day. Utilising this site highlighted the changing environment, our activities, and communicated it to tourists and audience.

Admission was free to the public for all events, translating to less production infrastructure, and more audience development. All activities were presented during Celebration of Federation activities in Cairns during the ‘Fed On Arts - Arts Expo 2001’ and were marketed as such.

The aftermath of the festival saw constant exchange between artists of video, still image and sound files. Extensive editing produced a DVD with the purpose of documenting the project and placing creative ideas into a succinct format for ongoing reflection and debate. Extended audience of Conflux through media screening occurred at the Ausdance ‘Creating Performances’ event in Armidale to an audience of sixty. Further screenings are planned for the Brisbane Powerhouse, Reel dance and Queensland University of Technology throughout 2002. The WWW archive is available at <bonemap.com>. The kind support of the New Media Arts Fund of the Australia Council is acknowledged on all media, web and at live events.

Stage Four – Proposes a touring component in 2002 to Cairns, Brisbane, Darwin, Singapore and UK as well as documentation and publication of outcomes. Currently we are negotiating with Lee Weng Choy of The Substation (Singapore) and James Tyson of Chapter Arts with artist Simon Whitehead (UK) for late 2002. We are also negotiating for 2003 with Cath Bowdler of 24Hr Art (Darwin); Zane Trow of Brisbane Powerhouse; and Ann Harris of Kick Arts Collective (Cairns).

An imaginary geography contrasted by distance, ecology and national celebrations? or a unique cultural collaboration taking place between Singapore and its regional neighbour Australia. Host organisations The Substation and the Australian High Commission are querying this notion as they support Australian artists Russell Milledge and Rebecca Youdell of Bonemap to collaborate with Singaporean artists through an Asialink visual and performing arts four month residency.

The Asialink residency is in line with Bonemap’s aim to foster greater and deeper regional engagement. Through the opportunity provided by the residency, Milledge and Youdell have been able to present an array of work while in Singapore. Video installations for the Substation’s ‘New Criteria 9’ program, ‘Spore’; a series of site-specific multimedia performance works ‘1ûN’ with artists George Chua and Misumi Suzaki; ‘Human Density’ a multimedia performance work in progress at The Substation; and the premiere of ‘The Wild Edge’ at the Australian High Commission in July. Another exciting component of the residency will be the presentation of 'New Image - New Way' an independently curated exhibition of Australian contemporary art featuring eight of the Northern Australia’s finest artists at Plastique Kinetic Worms.

A collusion of contemporary artists, Bonemap engages with environmental and social concerns within a cross artform language. Through site-specific Multimedia, Installation, and Dance techniques, Bonemap uses the global language of contemporary art to create collaborative relationships with artists and their communities. Bonemap’s key tenet is to develop and engage on an international level, through establishing sustainable networks for the discussion, dissemination and employment of kinetic and integrated media as an expression.

Milledge notes, ‘There is a growing demand for cultural experiences and opportunities within our region. Artistic celebration, survey exhibitions and cultural exchanges are important platforms for community cultural development. Bonemap’s work looks at a grid of references where borders open to intra-regional dialogue and exchange. The Asialink residency allows an opportunity to promote the positive processes of exchange, interaction and celebration between artists from culturally diverse backgrounds. It also promotes a dialogue of cultural practice specific to tropical locations, while developing international liaisons with artists and organisations from other countries.’

Bonemap’s devices are not conventional. Medical diagnostic imaging, experimental performance, and the multiplicity of the still and moving image. A dialogue focused on a conflux of performance styles derived from individual areas of training and experience. This reveals an interest in translations that seek to investigate the ephemeral landscape without cultural claiming through the development of dance syntax relevant to the themes and context of each work. Movement research and screen based works have surfaced above other mediums as a way to engage with environments and ecologies through the ability to have significant visual and cultural impact without leaving traces of the interaction on the site. It describes experience of place and identity without demanding ownership or leaving insensitive legacies on the particular spaces that the work inhabits.

Alternatively seeking a way out of the romanticism of the landscape and a definitive sense of cultural identity. These notions build upon past curatorial and performance projects which investigate cultural identity, displacement and postcolonialism. ‘Linkage Leakage’ an Asia Pacific artists exchange and residency exploring cultural leakage and currency in 1996 ‘Listening to Skin’ in 1998 and ‘The Wild Edge’ in 2000 all examine universal concerns.

Using the tension between the built and ecological, macro and micro, and internal and external environments, the collective work seeks to explore the architecture of the body and its relationship with the natural and built environment.

Youdell finds ‘Immersion into the landscape echoes the transience of the body and cultural resonance. Investigation of body, movement and environment explores metaphoric and semiotic understandings, and forces the translation through interdisciplinary and collaborative site-specific performance. Collaboration comes through a desire to build upon performance and choreographic techniques acquired through exploring form and essence. As a choreographer, the accessible nature of creating through mixed media emphasises the ephemeral via land marking of social and natural history.’

Transient relationships echo throughout the ecology of Northern Australia. The regions geographic proximity in the Asia Pacific notes human diversity and intervention through the drama of introduced species. Due to the flow of outside influences, postcolonial social relevance and multicultural contemporary society patterns are woven into questions of identity. The Asialink residency and artist exchange seeks to celebrate these patterns through contemporary art and cultural partnerships. The potential for Bonemap to stimulate international dialogue illuminates Australian cultural identity. Together Milledge and Youdell will survey social, historic and geographic landscape, and complement, contrast and interpret inflections of transience via the common thread of choreographic/moving design.

This project has been assisted by the Asialink Centre, The New Media Arts Fund of The Australia Council the Federal Governments arts funding and advisory body, Kick Arts in association with the Queensland Centenary of Federation Celebrations, Arts Queensland, The Australian High Commission Singapore and The Substation.

To find out more about our sponsors click here
To view a schedule of events click here
To contact Bonemap click here

MEDIA RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 28 MARCH 2001

Artists Receive National Award for work in Asia Pacific Region

Cairns based contemporary artists Russell Milledge and Rebecca Youdell of Bonemap have been awarded the first combined Asialink visual and performing arts residency which will be hosted by The Substation centre for the arts in Singapore from April - July 2001.

This is the first time the Asialink Centre at the University of Melbourne has offered joint residencies across the fields of Visual Arts/ Craft and Performing Arts.

'This is an immense opportunity for artistic and cultural exchange' Milledge said on hearing the news. 'I think its great that non-metropolitan based contemporary art projects such as 'Bonemap' can inspire positive national attention and awards.'

The four month residency will enable Milledge and Youdell to develop major new work from an entirely new perspective outside Australia. The flow on from the residency is proposed to involve artists from the Asia Pacific region visiting northern Australia to participate in contemporary art and performing arts exchange programs.

'We have developed a long term vision for exploring cultural exchange within the Asia Pacific region and look forward to this Singapore chapter placing us in a position to gain valuable contacts and networks for ongoing projects.' Milledge said 'Singapore is at the moment making a considerable investment in the arts including a massive arts festival precinct called 'The Esplanade''.

'The residency provides ample time to explore possibilities within South East Asian cultures, and the invitation to be involved with Singapore's The Substation 'New Criteria' program in May' Youdell said. 'The experience is likely to change our perceptions of contemporary art and performing arts, and can only enrich and inform the already substantial commitment our community has for fostering modern artforms'.

Another exciting component of the residency will be the presentation of 'New Image - New Ways' an independently curated exhibition of Australian contemporary art in Singapore featuring many of the Cairns regions finest artists.

Last year Milledge & Youdell created considerable interest and challenges for audiences through the presentation of an inter-disciplinary work - BONEMAP ‘the wild edge’ in six cities across Australia and Asia.

See the website for more details http://www.bonemap.com or E-mail: info@bonemap.com

SPONSORS - This is an Asialink project funded by the Australia Council, the Commonwealth Government's arts funding and advisory body, Arts Queensland, and the Australian High Commission, Singapore.