Seven unmissable events to see at FUSE Autumn – a celebration of art, culture and creativity
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15.03.2021

Seven unmissable events to see at FUSE Autumn – a celebration of art, culture and creativity

TAKEBACK!
Words by Eva Marchingo

The festival has some incredible events in store for their autumn instalment.

With many events already sold out across the program, FUSE Darebin is back and better than ever for its autumn instalment.

The festival is a dynamic hub supporting the vast creativity the Darebin region has to offer and encourages people to immerse themselves in the myriad forms of art, culture and creativity found in public spaces around the area.

FUSE welcomes the diversity that is inherent and necessary to art, celebrating participation from all ages, genders, ethnicities, sexualities and abilities. It is about finding unexpected joy locally.

As usual, the program is stacked with unique, challenging, exciting and enjoyable events to move you. Here’s our pick of the events on offer.

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Enlightenment

Enlightenment, under its full title, the Enlightenment of the Siddhartha Gautama Buddha and the Encounter with the Monkey King, Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, is set to be one hell of a performance.

The show by Singapore-born, Perth-based artist Joe Lui, re-imagines a childhood story, changing the context of a young Prince Siddhartha and a magical Monkey from ‘Journey to the West’, to young women in contemporary Australia.

Darkly hilarious, it’s a crime saga, romantic comedy, and all-round cosmic fever dream. It’s the perfect night out.

Performances take place from now until March 20 at Northcote Town Hall. Find out more here.

 

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Before Nightfall #13

From Speak Percussion and writer Clair G. Coleman, comes a unique musical and written experience inspired by Bundoora Homestead and the Darebin Art Collection.

Before Nightfall #13, as it’s called, encapsulates one of the few small joys of 2020; last year, a bunch of artists descended on the Bundoora Homestead to perform and record new pieces, which culminated in a live performance that night.

To enjoy the performances, those who get involved will receive a home-delivered USB, consisting of writing from Coleman, and images of artwork and the artists who performed and recorded the new pieces.

To get involved, register here.

Stimulus Package

Following on the theme of the global upheaval of last year, Stimulus Package is a collection of ten commissioned artworks presented across advertising sites throughout the City of Darebin.

The exhibition is presented in public on the streets and reflects on the impact of 2020, how we came together as a community to stimulate and support one another.

You’ll see works from Kay Abude, Georgia Banks, Lara Chamas, Anita Cummins, Roberta Joy Rich, Shea Kirk, Sonia Leber and David Chesworth, Louise Meuwissen, Steven Rhall, and Tim Woodward.

Find the map of the artwork locations here.

Paradise Lots

What if a carpark wasn’t just a concrete slab? Experimental theatre company Pony Cam are teaming up with a group of young artists to show you just that.

In an effort to confront audiences and challenge their unchecked assumptions about youth, this performance transforms an urban car park into a large scale performance space for a series of intimate performance works.

This is a participatory performance event that lies somewhere between teenage cynicism and middle-aged optimism.

Performances are going down from Friday March 19 to Sunday March 21 (Friday sold out). Check it out here.

 

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Suburban Vintage – Wine Makers of Darebin

Storytelling at its finest, award-winning Darebin photographer Laki Sideris has documented the stories of Darebin’s amateur homemade wine competition.

Capturing the personalities of the competition’s entrants in their home, Sideris has illuminated these talented winemakers in a way that honours their passion. The photos are rich with history, love and friendship, capturing the local heroes who love winemaking.

The perfect combination of art and journalism, this collection of short multimedia works and portraiture celebrates wine, culture and the migrant experience.

This exhibition is being hosted at the Darebin Arts Centre from Saturday March 20 to Saturday March 27. More here

Women of Soul

As the name suggests, this is a powerful performance of soulful female artists, and not just any artists either – these artists are at the top of their game.

In their first performance since the beginning of the pandemic, Women of Soul will be backed by their incredible house band, and are expected to produce something special. And with a lineup featuring the likes of of Nkechi Anele, Chelsea Wilson, Stella Angelico, Shannen Wick, Carla Troiano and Audrey Powne, there’s no doubting the combined prowess of Women of Soul.

This is going down on Sunday March 28 at Northcote Town Hall. Grab tix here.

TAKEBACK!

A validating and moving project, this multiplatform arts extravaganza is brought to you by a group of women, femmes and gender diverse artists of colour who are examining and dismantling the racialised gaze.

You’ll find performers, visual artists, writers, theatre-makers, cabaret stars, poets, lyricists, videographers and filmmakers stand up to the patriarchal nonsense they experience with wit, fire and curiosity.

With both live performances and digital content, this is an important project about reclaiming space, voice, visibility and truth-telling.

This one goes down on Saturday March 27 at Northcote Town Hall (now sold out).

FUSE Autumn goes down from now until Sunday March 28. Find out more here.