Spirit of Things
Spirit of Things
Pre-Show Notes
Carriageworks is a large brick and metal building separated from street level by a steep flight of steps. There are 21 steps in total and 3 landings. There is also a long ramp to the right. The ramp turns 7 times.
Travelling to the venue from street level from the stairs, there is a large driveway in front of the entranceway, called the pedestrian access zone. There are two glass entry points, the brickwork underfoot makes way for a steel grid. To your left is Cornerstone Café, to your right is the entrance to Carriageworks public space and box office. At each entry point is a set of heavy, glass double doors with a long silver handle.
Front of house staff members are located in the foyer to assist you. Box office is located in the Carriageworks public space; turn left as you enter the building and head straight ahead across the public space. Toilets including an accessible toilet are located down a passageway to the right of box office, Bay 20in which today’s performance of Spirit of Things is to be held, is located to the right of box office, at a distance of around 20 meters.
There will be a front of house staff member located outside Bay 20 welcome you through the double doors that open outwards, to the venue.
Venue and Access Details:
Carriageworks has Accessible parking in a car park adjacent to the building. Access to the car park is via the vehicle entry point located at 229 Wilson St. Bus routes to Carriageworks stop at King St and the closest railway station is Redfern Station. Carriageworks is an 8 – 10 minute walk from Redfern Station along Wilson St.
Carriageworks is a guide dog friendly facility and Spirit of Things offers accessible seating for wheelchair users.
Production Details
A moving sonic response to Indigenous objects and artefacts held in museum collections globally, Spirit of Things is a new music-based performance work by Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs, members of the award-winning musical duo, the Stiff Gins, in collaboration with renowned British director Felix Cross.
Simpson and Briggs became concerned by the disconnection and distance between Indigenous cultural objects in numerous museum collections and their ancestral country. To the artists, objects such as these are more than mere shadows of the past: they are living entities, buzzing with life. Spirit of Things will awaken these objects, unlocking them through music, stories and performance to reconnect them with their communities and creators once more.
Company:
Created and performed by Stiff Gins (Nardi Simpson & Kaleena Briggs)
Director: Felix Cross
Designer: Lucy Simpson
Lighting Designer: FaustoBrusamolino
Video Media Designer: MicGruchy
Music Director, Drums & Percussion: Syd Green
Electric & Acoustic Guitar:Kane Dennelly
Drums & Percussion:Tim Powles
Upright Bass:Jonathan Zwartz
Saturday 29 October 2pm Audio Described Performance
Preshow notes
Welcome to today’s performance of Spirit of Things which will be described by Anastasia Charles and Tegan Richardson.
Spirit of Things is a one hour performance with no interval located in Bay 20.
Bay 20 is one of 4 performance venues inside Carriageworks. There are two tracks and two bays, named for the building’s original purpose. The bay’s run north to south facing inside the building and the tracks run east to west. Bay 20 is the second largest theatre space in the venue and holds 255 seats.
As you enter the venue the seating bank is positioned to your right. There are 13 rows of seats above ground level, separated by a step. Seating has been arranged in rows at 400mm increments. There is a row of seats along the front of the seating bank. Two aisles divide the seating bank into three sections. Section one has four seats. Section two has 13 seats. Section 3 has 4 seats.
The Spirit of Things set is fairly sparse. At first, it looks like a regular gig set up – two mic stands, a couple of fold backs, two ukuleles and Nardi’s guitar.
There is a large screen that stretches across the entire space that is made of thin, dark grey gauze. The gauze is 14 metres wide and 7 metres tall. Nardi and Kaleena (the Stiff Gins) will mostly perform in front of the screen. At other times, animated projections will appear on the large screen and the floor of the stage. These images were created by Lucy Simpson and animated by MicGruchy. Lucy is a Yuwaalaraay woman who uses visual narratives to connect, share and celebrate aspects of language story, country and contemporary Aboriginal culture.
Behind the screen is another world that is revealed at certain times of the performance. A 4 piece band (Drummer and guitarist Syd Green, guitarist Kane Dennely, drummer Tim Powles and double bass player Jonathan Zwartz) are hidden behind the screen and will at times be revealed as light illuminates them and their silhouettes are projected on the screen.
A long strip of gauze is hung at the back of the stage and is illuminated at certain times of the show. The lighting and texture of this gauze makes it resemble a large tree.
Today’s performance is followed by a panel discussion featuring Nardi Simpson, Kaleena Briggs, Marcus Hughes and Jacob Boheme about Indigenous Cultural Representation in art.