“We do lots of things here,” Lillie laughs. “So we’ve just done Laneway Festival and before that was Wominjeka, and now we’re moving on to the Festival of Live Art. So we’re in the full swing of a whole lot of projects, and next week we also have collaborators from Indonesia, East Timor and Thailand coming to town. But [FOLA] really started with a conversation between Arts House and FCAC, around the fact there was potential to develop an offering for a diverse range of audiences exploring what live art is in Australia today. I think there is a real interest in audiences about having a deeper and richer experience, and I think partially that’s about wanting to be closer to the art-making in some sense, being interested in work that doesn’t happen in mainstream, traditional performance or creative spaces–like theatre for example. Also, FOLA gives us the opportunity to interrogate and question what that means in our current context in the arts, in performance. It gives artists an opportunity to try something new, take some conceptual risks and put it out there for audiences to see what those interests might be and how they’d like to engage.”
Audience engagement seems fundamental not only to the Festival of Live Arts’ guiding principle – programming participatory events that encourage people to actively involve themselves in productions – but to FCAC itself. In conjunction with Arts House and Theatre Works, these organisations showcase some of the best national and international talent Melbourne can offer. They act as a mouthpiece, ensuring the multitude of local communities can be recognised and expressed.
“It’s really about participation, experimentation, exchange, new ideas, and collaboration. Then for each of the presenters and partners, we listen to the vision and ethos of each organisation and each artistic director. For me, it’s about [asking] what does live art actually mean in the context of the work that we do, and in the context of Melbourne’s West? In the context of a venue and a program, and a place that has an audience base of over 90,000 people with over 130 different cultural groups [and] 150 languages, with artists and communities from all over the world. So what do we want to say through the program? I think [with] this program, we’ve done that. We’re really happy with the opportunities that are there, and the great work that is being presented.”
A rising trend can be seen across many Australian festivals and cultural events in recent years, and that is the expanding platform of performances committed to destructing traditional divides between artist and audience. In an artistic landscape that has been tech-savvy for some time now, the possibilities of immediate, online participation has also become a key aspect to how art is intertwined with the public, and while Lillie is loathe to pick favourites from amongst the FOLA program, several – such as the intriguing Skype Duet – have found particular interest.
“I think [we’re] generally becoming much more multi-disciplinary, in performance theatre and visual art, exploring multiple dimensions in so many different ways. I think the Skype Duet talks a bit of the quest for human connection in the modern world, but obviously the way that she’s presenting this work is in the virtual space. I think it’s important that we think about what technology brings to the way we communicate. What we gain, what we lose through that experience. What does intimacy mean in that context? Having a Skype duet with one other person is quite an intimate experience, so how do we hold and facilitate those experiences for audiences?”
“I’m excited about EXQUISITE, which is part of our Collaborate Asia program, and is bringing together a group of artists from Indonesia and also Australia to deliver a kind of visual performance and sound exploration. There’s a bit of a secret – a big reveal – and I’m really excited to see what this group will produce together. I’m also pretty excited about Past Racism / Future Rights, which is Yagan [Satour]’s show. He explains his work as an intergalactic journey with a proud Aboriginal gay man with an intellectual disability, and his alter ego – Star Aqua Galactica.”
With over fifty experiences spread over thirteen days, FOLA most certainly has something for every taste. It has been programmed with great passion and imagination, and Lillie hopes that others may see the festival and be inspired to begin working towards one of their very own.
“I think festivals are the perfect example of ‘we’re better together’. Collaboration is key, and if you’re wanting to develop and deliver a festival, you can’t do that on your own. I think it’s finding the right collaborators, and having a confidence about what you’re interested in providing and presenting to audiences, and also being willing to follow different threads as they emerge. That’s what festivals do. They allow you to respond and program in really interesting ways.”
By Adam Norris
