In April Critical Path hosted a Regional Practitioner Gathering at Bundanon for artists who are all based in the Hunter Valley/Central Coast area of NSW. The residency-lab is part of a series of activities to nurture networks of regional practitioners and to provide professional and sector development activities.
The artists participating were Alejandro Rolandi, Lee-Anne Litten and Sophia Van Gent along with Josh Staines and Jasmin Sheppard.
This gathering was supported by Critical Path Director Claire Hicks who is also based in the Central Coast region.
Artists were invited, along with a parallel First Nations residency with the intention to
- support each artist and their research/development in their own right, with paid time and space for your practice in general and your specific project/s
- create a space that feels safe to undertake their own research and to support each other as appropriate
- focus the time so that Critical Path can better contribute to your research/development
- make an opportunity for those that are geographically located close together in regional NSW (Central Coast-Hunter Valley- Lake Macquarie & Mid Coast NSW), to make the most of any existing or potential connections and support
Across the week it was clear that a number of shared connections and concerns were at play across the group/s. Participants highlighted the importance of
Connection between First Nations and Regional Artists
Regional Networks and relationships
Being in the bush, outside of the studio, relationship to the land
Time and space in and for practice
Participants fed back –
“This residency showed the integrity Critical Path holds in fostering connections and practice of independent dance artists, through the holding of a strong container for both First Nations and regional artists to come together to share practice and build a collective shared knowledge.”
“Having the time to connect with peers in a residential format allowed the opportunity to be able to see through the artistic lens of the others, bringing fresh perspectives to challenge my own.”
“it gave each artist the space to self-regulate and the ability to tune into, with a sensitivity, each other without a pressured agenda. Allowing the connection to build authentically from the bottom up.”