FUSE Darebin’s festival director Jodee Mundy gives us the low down on what’s up with FUSE Darebin in 2022.
Darebin’s beloved FUSE festival made a grand entrance into Melbourne’s cultural calendar back in 2020, when after only a few days in action, it had to be shut down due to COVID-19. After such a successful and expansive transition to FUSE’s 2021 incarnation online, FUSE returns in its full glory in 2022 with eager performers, and a bunch of free and low-cost shows.
Audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy work from artists spanning a vast array of styles and genres across the City of Darebin, with an intriguing program of artwork, music, theatre and storytelling. There’s bound to be something up everyone’s alley.
What you need to know
- FUSE is being held at 43 venues across Darebin
- It features a selection of some of Melbourne’s most talented artists, with a special focus on the Darebin area
- It’s happening from March 11 to March 27. Check out what’s on here.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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For a festival that came to life at one of the most unfortunate possible times, coming back to a world that’s slowly returning to normal brings a great deal of excitement to the team behind the show.
Jodee notes that recent advancements and easing-restrictions means things can go off without a hitch. “We launched in the pandemic, so that’s all we’ve known. It’s been so great not having to make 10 different scenario plans, we can actually just focus on the festival,” Jodee says. “It’s been feeling really good.”
Jodee has worked as an independent creative director within Australia for a number of years, working with artists of all types, to bring their innovative dreams to life.
It’s a rarity among festivals in that the program is largely chosen by artists themselves and working so closely with the community’s creatives has allowed her to understand what really matters to them, to ensure FUSE can prioritise the artist over everything else.
“For the past 20 years I’ve worked as an independent artist with communities to create art and culture. Gathering people together through creative means is something I’m really passionate about, so when I could see that the cuts to arts funding was on the rise I decided to apply for the director role at the City of Darebin so my arts practice could be more stable.
Jodee adds: “My role was to re-brand and create a new contemporary arts festival for Darebin, so my team and I came up with FUSE and it was endorsed by Council.
“The City of Darebin is genuinely supportive of diversity, inclusion, and climate action, it was the first council in the world to declare a climate emergency. They were also one of the few councils to not recognise the 26th of January. So, I feel really, really lucky that FUSE is sitting in a context of councillors and executives who really feel like they are custodians of the future.”
The program itself is unsurprisingly the most exciting element of the festival, with more shows than you can shake a stick at. No matter how picky you are, there’s no question that you’ll find something great on the FUSE lineup.
Jodee namechecks a bunch of killer artists making their way to Darebin this month, who can truly move and inspire audiences. “Having Yumi Stynes as the orator for the Opening Party is going to be really amazing. Also the curator, she’s known as Queen Acknowledgements, she’s a Yorta-Yorta, Gunaikurnai Warlpiri and Wurundjeri woman, and she has curated the opening party.”
“There’s truly something for everyone, you can even just walk along the shops in Reservoir and see some cool stuff in the windows.” Jodee’s referring here to FUSE’s Made in Rezza exhibition, which features 15 artworks in 15 Reservoir shopfronts by 15 local artists. That’s not the only Reservoir event, there’s also Live in Hi REZ, a series of music pop-ups by young people held around Reservoir Station, and also the closing event, Out of the Park Picnic, an outdoor concert held in Edwardes Park Lake.
This is only the tip of the iceberg, Jodee adds “there is a lot going on” with a laugh. There are also the four FUSE Fund events, which feature commissioned artists and performers producing their own shows. Highlights include An Uncertain Time, a sensory theatre performance for babies and their carers, born from the uncertainty of lockdown, as well as We Are Song, We Are Dreaming, We Are Country, a compelling blend of First Nations music, performance, story and conversation.
For any budding artists or creatives out there, Jodee also highlighted the importance of reaching out to their team. Even though this year’s show is already set in place, you’re still encouraged to reach out to FUSE if you feel you’ve got something to offer that matches their vibe.
“If you’re an artist, and you want to know more about how you could get involved, we’re going to have something called the FUSE Fund, it involves a really simple application where you can submit your idea, and it goes into a panel of local artists.
“But if you have an idea, and you want to have a chat, just email us at [email protected], we’re very open to having coffees and looking at how we can support you with your idea.”
FUSE Darebin will hit Melbourne from March 11, check out more info here.
