In conjunction with Melbourne International Arts Festival, Place of Assembly opens on Wednesday October 10, and will feature the artists-in-residence along with 12 guest artists in celebration of the vibrant and diverse historic building that will be dearly missed.
Alice and Elizabeth had only planned on a six-month stint at the building, but quickly found themselves occupying the entire place in March 2010, and have since brought together a community of collective creatives, and gathered a keen following. Always providing Melbourne with up and coming events, Place of Assembly has been a long time coming. “The idea for the exhibition was born within weeks of moving into the site,” says Elizabeth, who along with Alice are the curators of the exhibition. The girls plan on showcasing the uniqueness of the site, saying, “It will allow the public a rare opportunity to engage with the space and the art forms within it, in a way that is impossible in conventional galleries and exhibition spaces. It will also provide an opportunity for people to view the artists’ studios and experience the community, as it exists day to day.”
With Melbourne being the hub of all things creative, it was easy to pull together some of the city’s finest artists. Alice says, “Elizabeth and I wrote a wishlist of artists we wanted to approach for Place of Assembly and were overjoyed that everyone responded positively.” And who wouldn’t be excited about exhibiting in a space that has a history of over 120 years, not to mention how picturesque it is? The girls were overloaded with emails from more than 87 artists all wanting a piece of the action. “The sheer scale of this exhibition has been overwhelming at times, but that is also what will make so exciting to be a part of. There are so many amazing artists involved, and hearing their amazing ideas and feeding off their enthusiasm for the exhibition has been a highlight so far.”
Live performances by Client Liaison, Fox & Sui and Speed Painters will provide the soundtrack for your Place of Assembly experience, which will be set amongst the orchards that surround Schoolhouse Studios. A perfect spring outing! Following that, Two Bright Lakes DJs will get your feet tapping with a selection of dance-worthy tracks. The exhibition will run over two weeks, and will cost you nothing to get your cultural fix.
While the building may be just a structure to some, it is much, much more to the residents of Schoolhouse Studios. It has helped inspire and has brought together an artistic community that otherwise would have no other outlet. Alice and Elizabeth hope Place of Assembly will show not only the locals, but also the rest of Melbourne, that being apart of something much larger than you is important, and something we should inspire to continue to do. Not only that, but they are deeply committed to sustaining the environment. With the help of Laura Morgan, their environmental officer, and Lauren Steller, the Schoolhouse Studios architectural designer, they are, as they say, “passionate about sustainable materials and committed to creating an environmentally sensitive build in a new site.” These beliefs will be evident throughout the exhibition of Place of Assembly, by demonstrating sustainable practices and outcomes through the use of art, which they hope will inform and inspire other projects in the future.
The demolition of a space of this kind is no doubt going to leave a giant hole in the community, and Alice and Elizabeth are determined to keep the artistic flow of Schoolhouse Studios alive. “We are actively seeking a new site of the Schoolhouse community to move into, however it is unlikely that we will find somewhere with a garden as beautiful as this one, or [one] that has a basketball court!” It’s always somewhat upsetting to see a slice of Melbourne’s history torn down, but it’s the people and what they contribute, which the girls see as the fundamentals, admitting, “We always knew it was going to happen. Through this site we have built a wonderful community, and made many life long friends. When it’s time to go, we hope to move together into a new site. It is sad to see this site demolished. It has an incredible history, and it is rare to have such a beautiful patch of open land so close to the city.” Forever concocting new and fresh ideas to keep things interesting, the girls have big plans for the future of Schoolhouse Studios. “Schoolhouse Studios will continue to exist in a new site. Ever Friday night in November and December this year, we are curating “Eat Your Art Out”, a pop up bar at Schoolhouse Studios. Each week a different artist will collaborate with a chef to produce a wild and delicious dessert.” A little bit of demolition isn’t going to tear down the aspirations of these two ladies.
BY JENNABELL TAYLOR
