FUSE Festival, presented by the City of Darebin, is set to kick off with a range of vibrant and culturally significant events.
FUSE returns for Spring 2024, a multi-arts festival providing a platform for local artists, designers and performers to transform its amazing city into a dynamic hub of creativity.
FUSE Festival
- City of Darebin’s major arts festival
- 14 – 22 September
- www.fusedarebin.com.au
Explore Melbourne’s latest arts and stage news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Ganbu Gulin: Grandmother Spirit
- Ganbu Gulin: Grandmother Spirit
- Saturday 14 September
- Bundoora Park Farm, Preston
The festival will begin with Ganbu Gulin: Grandmother Spirit, an annual Welcome to Country event on Saturday 14 September.
Delivered in partnership with Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and curated by Allara Briggs Pattison, this event will take place at Bundoora Park Farm, Preston. Ganbu Gulin features live music, visual art, a panel talk, and community workshops. This year’s event will be held at a new site, offering a fresh experience for attendees.
Patricia Piccinini artist keynote
- 1 September
- Darebin Arts Centre
- FREE
FUSE is also excited to present the 2024 Artist Keynote with internationally renowned artist Patricia Piccinini. On 21 September at Darebin Arts Centre, Piccinini will share insights from her diverse career, exploring sculpture, photography, video, and drawing. She will discuss the evolving boundary between artificial and natural in contemporary culture and ideas. The keynote will be followed by a Q&A session.
Return by Zena Cumpston
- Return Exhibition
- 19 – 22 September
- Eastmint Gallery
- FREE
The festival continues with a visual art exhibition, Return, presented by Barkandji artist, writer, and researcher Zena Cumpston. This exhibition celebrates the plant knowledge of southeastern Aboriginal peoples, focusing on the cultural landscape of the Darebin area and the plants of Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Country. Featuring artworks, performances, and workshops, Return engages diverse audiences with Indigenous knowledge and promotes actions to support biodiversity.
Nikodimos and his Orchestra
- Nikodimos and his Orchestra
- 20 September
- Darebin Arts Centre
On 20 September, the Darebin Arts Centre will host an evening of exploratory and reverent performances with Nikodimos and his Orchestra. Known for their unorthodox approach to orchestral music, the ensemble will perform original compositions in unconventional spaces. The lineup includes standout talents like Tamil Rogeon on viola, Komang on vocals, and Annwen Roberts on violin. Also performing will be Aarti Jadu, a multidisciplinary sound artist with roots in devotional and raga music from India.
Aarti Jadu’s live performance evolves from a mélange of various folk and classical styles, integrating elements such as electronic ambient and bass music, artificial vocal manipulation, and synthesizers. Her compositions, exemplified by pieces like L’école de La Caz, highlight autotuned chorales that underscore the significance of communal folk music for societal wellness—a musical value rooted in Aarti’s spiritual and cultural upbringing. Jadu composes cinematic, atmospheric pieces performed live using both electronic and acoustic instrumentation. Whether conducting ensembles, collaborating, or performing solo, her sound is characterized as “down-regulating” and “trance-like,” finding its place across diverse landscapes and scenes within Naarm (Melbourne).
Nikodimos Nick Millman Paleologoudias is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer and song-writer from Naarm (Melbourne) with an unmistakeable technicoloured essence. He is featured on a track with Hiatus Kyote (Everything’s Beautiful), is a member of Naarm Punk Funk outfit Proto Moro and has an illustrious solo career spanning many genres and instruments.
FUSE Festival runs from 14 to 22 September, transforming Darebin into a dynamic hub of creativity and cultural celebration.
