Transforming an iconic heritage building through experimental choreography and visual arts
Critical Path will transform the iconic, heritage building, The Drill Hall, with an experimental choreography and visual arts performance, UNVEILINGS / Wonder If by Katya Petetskaya on Saturday 23 November at 6pm. This event is free and proudly supported by Woollahra Council.
Petetskaya is a multidisciplinary artist working across painting and performance art. Her upbringing in the former Soviet Union during the turbulent 1990s fostered a critical approach to narratives about the status quo. Petetskaya uses art to explore alternative forms of knowledge, existence and ways of understanding the world.
During UNVEILINGS / Wonder If, audiences will be guided through an immersive walkthrough of The Drill Hall as re-imagined by Petetskaya and her collaborator, sound artist Gail Priest. From vacuum cleaners to drapes, chairs, lights, mirrors and the venue’s acoustics, the possibilities are endless for the artist.
In Petetskaya’s words, ‘The project reimagines The Drill Hall not as a passive backdrop, but an active collaborator in the creative process. The live performance blurs the boundaries between the performer, medium and audience.’
The Drill Hall was built during the 1890s for the Naval Brigade. It was part of HMAS Rushcutter – the oldest existing naval base in Australia. Since 2005, The Drill Hall has been home to Critical Path as a dance research facility for independent Australian choreographers.
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FROM THE ARTIST
“This interdisciplinary work at The Drill Hall blends performance art, visual arts, sound, and the venue’s unique characteristics, challenging traditional roles of performance spaces. By integrating Object Choreography, active audience participation, and ‘silent soundscapes’, the project reimagines The Drill Hall not as a passive backdrop, but as an active collaborator in the creative process.
This live performance blurs the boundaries between performer, medium, and audience. In collaboration with sound artist Gail Priest, curated ‘silent soundscapes’ and the dynamic potential of performance spaces are tested, offering an immersive and experimental experience.”
ARTISTS: Katya Petetskaya with Gail Priest
This project was funded by Critical Path & Woollahra Municipal Council.
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DATE
SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2024
6PM – 6:45PM
LOCATION
THE DRILL HALL, CRITICAL PATH,
1C NEW BEACH ROAD
DARLING POINT, NSW, 2027
GADIGAL & BIRRABIRRAGAL COUNTRY
RSVP HERE
https://events.humanitix.com/unveilings-wonder-if
KATYA PETETSKAYA
Katya Petetskaya is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans performance and visual arts. Her upbringing in the former Soviet Union during the turbulent 1990s deeply influenced her practice, fostering a critical approach to existing narratives and driving her to question the status quo. Petetskaya’s work explores alternative forms of knowledge and modes of existence, using performance art and painting as tools to explore and communicate new ways of understanding the world.
@katya.petetskaya
https://katyapetetskaya.com
GAIL PRIEST
Gail PRIEST is a sound artist and writer based on Dharug and Gundungurra land (Katoomba, NSW). Her work spans soundtracks for dance, theatre and video, solo electro-acoustic performance as well sound installations for gallery contexts, both solo and in collaboration. She has performed her live compositions and exhibited sound installations nationally and internationally including in Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, France, Norway and the Netherlands. In 2015-16 she was awarded an Emerging & Experimental Arts Fellowship from the Australia Council. She has undertaken numerous radio commissions and releases music on her own label Metal Bitch Recordings as well as Flaming Pines, Endgame Records and room40. She curates events and exhibitions and writes fictively and factually about sound and media art, working for RealTime magazine for over 15 years. She has just completed a PhD in creative sound theory at UTS.
@gailpriestess
www.gailpriest.net
GETTING HERE
CAR:
Limited street parking is available along: New Beach Road, Loftus Road, Yarranabbe Road, Neild Avenue and Glenmore Road. There is also a paid carpark near Edgecliff Station.
TRAIN:
The closest station is Edgecliff Station. It is a 15-minute walk from Critical Path. Walk down New Beach Road past the marina and yacht club at Rushcutters Bay. The Drill Hall will be on your left.
BUS:
The #324 and #325 buses departs from Circular Quay Station. It passes Wynyard, Town Hall, Darlinghurst, Kings Cross and Rushcutters Bay. Get off at the stop ‘Baywater Rd before New Beach Rd’ and walk down New Beach Road past the marina and yacht club at Rushcutters Bay. The Drill Hall will be on your left.
The #328 bus departs from Edgecliff Station. It will stop right outside The Drill Hall. It runs every 30 minutes.
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ENQUIRIES
If you have any questions, please email Critical Path at [email protected]
Image: Katya Petetskaya, HEAD WHALE FIGURE TRANSFIGURE, 2023, live performance; Blue Mountains Theatre; NSW; photo: Maja Baska
Image: Experimental Choreographic Showing, 2024, The Drill Hall; photo: Liz Ham for Performance Space.