They are a Bay is a future visual memoir of Nairm / Port Phillip Bay. It reflects on Nairm’s long life. From their youth, through the turbulence of industrialisation and climate change, to a future where they’ve been granted human rights and are loved and cared for as friend and kin of fellow humans, flourishing in harmony.
If elements of the environment are granted human rights or alternate legal rights that rigorously protect the health and safety of nature, how might this impact climate action and ecosystem well-being? Could this evoke expanding and deepening relationship to nature as a friend to care for, rather than as a resource to exploit?
They Are a Bay was presented at The Bridge Kingston Arts Centre in 2021-22.
Concept, animation, video and projection design by Caroline Packham
Choreography and dance by Stéphane Hisler
Additional dance by Minna Lappalainen
Music by Cold Hands Warm Heart, Metre 10, Noel Griffin, Nctrnm
Kindly supported by The City of Kingston and Kingston Arts Centre
Projection performance events were cancelled due to Naarm / Melbourne’s Covid restrictions. See here for info about the project.
Anthropic Augmentation is a projection performance work exploring an imagined future memoir of the Yarra River/Birrarung.
It is the year 2030 and Birrarung/Yarra has been granted human rights to enhance her protection. Who is s/he and what has been her journey? If elements of the environment are granted human rights how might this impact environmental health and climate action? How might we reconsider rights and existence? What is Birrarung/Yarra’s story and how might we care for her?
This work was developed in response to the new Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017. This Act provides a new framework and expanded community involvement in caring for the Birrarung/Yarra. It combines traditional owner knowledge with modern river management practices and established the Birrarung Council, a legal entity with an advisory role in caring for the river. In a first for Victoria the Act includes Woi-wurrung language. Anthropic Augmentation goes beyond river management mechanisms in this Act by contemplating the river having human rights and so legal standing in relation to their health and protection.
Credits
Creative director, projection artwork and projection design: Caroline Packham
Projection performance: Minna Lappalainen, Nick Wilson, Lachlan Plain, Aidan Min, Erin Hall
Transcendent Postie: Shane Savage
Dancers: Andi Coventon (Skate Odyssey); TJ Riddell; Minna Lappalainen
Music/sound credits: Metre-10, Noel Griffin, Steve Combs, Podington Bear, Nctrnm, Soft and Furious, Lobo Loco, Nick Wilson
Photos by Minna Lappalainen and Ollie Clifton
Project Partners
This project was seeded by The City of Stonnington and initially developed for Glow Winter Arts Festival 2018.
An evolved site specific version also focusing on The Yarra River/Birrarung was presented at Art After Dark 2019, Hawthorn Arts Centre, kindly supported by The City of Booroondara.
Special thanks to Port Phillip EcoCentre and Auspen.
Subxterrestrial is a projection performance work that was presented at Gertrude St Projection Festival 2017.
Creatures from an imagined future subterranean habitat altered through climate change, emerge into the landscape. Sliding out of cracks in the pavement and from the roots of trees they glide over the terrain. Bringing with them tales from an imagined future, these micro creatures from the underground explore the landscape. What creatures live in this fantastical future earth? They have evolved at a lightning rapid pace beyond the realms of natural evolution to become surreal other worldly creatures. Their morphing anatomical features and skins enabling them to cope with a changing climate. These creatures have developed almost robotic mechanisms to defend themselves against climatic extremes, technological biological adaptations merge into their evolved bodies for comfort and survival. How can looking at imaginary worlds influence the one we inhabit?
Concept, animation and projection design by Caroline Packham
Soundscape design and cello by Caroline Packham, guitar by Lilith Lane, percussion by Minna Lappalainen
Projection performance by Minna Lappalainen and Caroline Packham
Kindly supported by City of Yarra
Illuminate 2030 is a projection performance that explores climate change scenarios with local communities. Animated wildlife creatures, whose skins are alive with imagery created by our artists, climate scientists and the public, roam through night time festivals. Side by side, interacting, we see two different future worlds colliding: one where climate change is addressed, one where it is ignored.
The projected animated wildlife characters interact with their environment in an attractive, enticing, choreographed performance that defies gravity, embraces audiences and responds to audience participation.
Each performance represents the local ecology of each location, reflecting upon a diverse range of ecosystems, urban landscapes, communities and climate issues. The aim is to capture what scientists, artists and participants imagine each region will look like and feel like in 2030 in each climate scenario.
Wildlife can’t re-engineer their habitat to be comfortable in a changing climate as humans can. Some will perish, some will migrate, some will adapt. Two creatures represent the beauty of fragile creatures who we will keep and care for if we address climate change. The other two represent wildlife species that might exist if we ignore climate change. The creatures skins are filled with changing imagery reflecting the future landscapes and a soundscape booms: a chorus of many different voices.
Localised interpretations of Illuminate 2030 were presented at Glow Festival 2016, EcoArts Festival 2016 in partnership with the Port Phillip Ecocentre, Gertrude St Projection Festival 2016; Ballarat Laneways Festival 2016 and The Sustainable Living Festival 2018 in partnership with ArtPlay.
Paintings were created using up-cycled paper and paints made from clays, starch and edible pigments and were composted at the end of the project.
Credits
Creative director, animation, community engagement: Caroline Packham
Creative producer: Sue McCauley, Caroline Packham
Video editing and soundscape: Michael Buckley, Caroline Packham
Music: Qua
Projection performance, imagery, workshops:
Lachlan Plain, Zoe Dawkins, Minna Lappalainen, Lilith Lane, Dan Nunan, Adam Grossetti, Tom Milton, Nick Wilson, Lachlan Plain, Caroline Packham, Michael Buckley.
Interactive projection drawing at ArtPlay for the Sustainable Living Festival 2018 by Sensory Empire and at Gertrude Street Projection Festival 2016 by Video Architecture.
Climate scenario advice & imagery:
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science and Port Phillip EcoCentre
Documentation: Video by Michel Buckley, photography by Sabine Legrand
Project Partners
The project was seeded with support from City of Stonnington for Glow Winter Arts Festival 2016.
Localised interpretations were supported by City of Port Phillip, ArtPlay and City of Melbourne, City of Yarra, Department of Health and Human Services, LiveWires and City of Ballarat.
The EcoArts Festival held in September 2016 included: Welcome to Country by Jaeden Williams, wildlife walks, interactive installations, open-air art workshops projection performances, live music, stories and a climate art-science forum. The forum explored some of the challenges, benefits and opportunities of climate art-science collaborations with panelists: artist Lachlan Plain, Rob Murray-Leach from the Energy Efficiency Council, James Whitmore co-author of The Handbook Surviving and Living with Climate Change and environment editor for The Conversation and April Seymore Port Phillip EcoCentre Executive Officer. The main festival day was held at the Port Phillip EcoCentre with additional projection performances roaming through St Kilda. Paintings, photos and videos created by the community and scientists were incorporated into the projection work.
Credits
Creative director, animation, projection design: Caroline Packham
Event manager and community engagement: Anthony Gallacher, Port Phillip EcoCentre
Projection video editing and soundscape: Michael Buckley
Projection music: Qua
Projection performance, imagery, workshops:
Lachlan Plain, Minna Lappalainen, Tom Milton
Climate scenario advice & imagery:
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science and Port Phillip EcoCentre
Documentation: Video by Michael Buckley, photography by Sabine Legrand
Future Us is a projection performance that was produced with children from Cubbies and LiveWires at the Atherton Gardens and Collingwood Housing Estates. The work embraces the notion that imagining the future, helps shape the future. The children explored their vision for the future and how they might get there. What do they desire for their communities, their environment, their education and their future careers? Children participated in a month long series of art workshops. Photo stories, paintings, collage, filmed movement, audio recordings and music that were created in the workshops formed the content for an animated projection work. The work was presented at Atherton Gardens and Collingwood Public Housing Estates and Emerge In Yarra 2016.
Future Us stills were prominent throughout Emerge in Yarra online and print marketing materials. Future Us was featured on ABC3 TV and ABC online.
Credits
Concept, projection design and performance: Caroline Packham
Workshop facilitation and projection performance: Minna Lappalainen
Movement and artwork: Children from Cubbies and LiveWires
Video camera and editing: Danielle Karalus
Photography: Louise Miller, Minna Lappalainen
Kindly supported by The Neighbourhood Justice Centre and Department of Health and Human Services.
Walk explores our connection to nature as a place for contemplation and movement.
Concept, animation, cello music and projection design by Caroline Packham.
Wildlife illustrations by Georgina Ross.
Video editing by Danielle Karalus and Caroline Packham.
Projection performance by Caroline Packham and Minna Lappalainen.
Photo and video documentation by Minna Lappalainen.
Initially presented at Pinpoint Public Art Program 2014 kindly supported by City of Banyule.
Subsequent localised interpretations presented at:
Ballarat Laneways Festival 2015 supported by City of Ballarat
Gertrude St Projection Festival 2015
Glow Winter Arts Festival 2015 supported by City of Stonnington
Children and local community from Cubbies Fitzroy Adventure Playground and Atherton Gardens Public Housing Estate, re-imagined their neighbourhood by way of luminous large scale live art. Through interactive projection drawing and painting their own imprint was projected onto their home.
By Video Architecture with Caroline Packham, Minna Lappalainen and Simeon Buckley.
Presented at Gertrude Street Projection Festival 2014.
Kindly supported by City of Yarra and Department of Health and Human Services.
Concept and Projection by Video Architecture
House painters: Caroline Packham, Minna Lappalainen, Michael Buckley, Simeon Buckley.