UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA) is partnering with Performance Space (P-Space), heralding a new era of support for Sydney’s experimental arts scene. This collaboration introduces the UNSWxPSpace Residency Program 2024 offering an unprecedented opportunity for artists to immerse themselves in their craft.
The renewed Residency is set to bridge a critical gap in Sydney’s arts landscape, allowing artists to engage in a rich exchange of ideas and practice with UNSW ADA, the top-ranked tertiary institution for Performing Arts in Australia. The initiative is the only paid residency of its kind in Sydney, catering to artists who traverse disciplines to engage in contemporary practice within a research-intensive university context.
This year, the Residency will support the work of two artists. Marcus Whale’s Ecstasy explores the intersection of rave culture and 16th-century mysticism, blending high-BPM rave music with choral drone to create a visceral, live performance that delves into where the boundaries of self dissolve. In The Crying Room: Exhumed, Marcus Ian McKenzie transforms a traditional theatre auditorium into crying room, a space not to conceal tears but to invoke them, weaving a narrative of hyper-spiritualism and cyber-grief in the search for his lost brother.
Previous iterations of the residency program have utilised UNSW spaces for the development of cornerstone projects for the genre-pushing experimental art and performance festival Liveworks, providing a vital space for artists to develop and refine their work. Past residency recipients include notable artists like Rainbow Chan and Gail Priest, who have gone on to present significant works at Liveworks.
“We’re excited to strengthen our ties with P-Space through the UNSWxPSpace Residency Program 2024 to support a thriving experimental art scene in Sydney,” says Professor Claire Annesley, Dean of UNSW ADA. “This partnership embodies our ADA2051 vision to champion creativity, collaboration and inclusion, and we eagerly anticipate the extraordinary artistic pursuits that will emerge from the collaboration.”
Emerging 40 years ago in response to artists’ collective desire to explore and investigate new forms of art, P-Space is renowned as Australia’s leading organisation for the development and presentation of experimental art. P-Space has been instrumental in shaping the trajectory of contemporary art practice and inclusivity in the sector, with a particular emphasis on queer performance and supporting First Nations and artists with diverse backgrounds.
The School of the Arts & Media at UNSW ADA has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with P-Space spanning two decades, which inspires much of the Theatre and Performance Studies curriculum and has created pathways for alumni to flourish in the industry. The expanded partnership through UNSW ADA will offer more opportunities, including internships, guest lectures, media tickets, and workshops, accessible to all ADA students to enrich their educational experience and foster a deeper connection with the arts.
“We believe in the transformative impact of the arts that happens when artists are supported to take risks and experiment in stimulating environments,” says Vanessa Lloyd, CEO of Performance Space. “Together with UNSW ADA, P-Space will continue to evolve and pioneer new approaches to developing and presenting pivotal works.”
