Sound out the street in Erskineville
Image: Hossein Ghaeni performs ‘THE DEFICIENT OF SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT: QUIZZING MAKES REMEDY’ above Allans Cakes for PACT’s Tiny Stadiums, 2013.
Following on from its first two activations in December and January, PACT Centre for Emerging Artists continues its monthly micro-festival, Sound Out The Streets, in Erskineville. On the last Friday of February, March, and April, the evening streets and shopfronts will be filled with music, performance artists, high-spirits and lots of surprises.
With the February event occurring while Sydney WorldPride is in full swing, it’s going to have a distinctly queer flavour. Special guest curators, Troppo Galaktika, a collective of community-focused queer artists, will be presenting a street event called Hairy Situations. It’s as wild as it sounds, with a vibrant mix of film, performance art, activations and free haircuts designed to explore and celebrate the diverse culture in Erskineville.
Also on the agenda are readings and spoken word performances from EnQueer, Sydney Queer Writers’ Festival, and a series of paste-ups in local shop fronts by Australian-Papua New Guinean artist Yuriyal Eric Bridgeman.
The March program will be driven by local kids and includes: Australian artist Jason Phu and Australian-Javanese performance artist Kartika Suharto Martin in collaboration with students from Erskineville Public and St Mary’s Primary, creating a participatory procession and installation that explores children’s relationships to the natural world.
Also on the program: a sound installation by theatre makers, Claudia Chidiac and Nick Wishart, that will capture and broadcast children’s dreams in spaces around the neighbourhood; a group exhibition featuring local contemporary artists Nadia Odlum, Liz Ham, Sam Doctor, Jake Simon (Worimi, Biripi), Casey Ayres, Sidney McMahon and Zan Wimberley, showcasing paste-ups of photographs, paintings and installations honouring the creativity and storytelling in Erskineville Village.
Sound Out The Street will conclude at the end of April with a special three day finale, a culmination of the art, creativity, and community spirit that exists in the eclectic, city-fringe suburb of Erskineville.
