RealTime’s 9-day gruelling-but-fun intensive workshop for 10 writers at BEAP 2004 yielded some 50 responses to new media artworks, exhibitions and conferences. A small sample of the writing and a glimpse of the epic event can be found in the centre pages of this edition, while the whole of the workshop’s output and a bigger picture of BEAP can be read at www.realtimearts.net/features/beap.
We’ve not trumpeted it but over the years RealTime has run a steady stream of reports on overseas arts events and significant artists. The writers are usually Australian artists or scholars travelling or in-residence and inspired by the work they’ve seen. In this edition we’re expanding our coverage of innovative art with reports from New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, the Baltics (ISEA), the UK and Germany. Our German coverage includes an interview with composer Heiner Goebbels about his latest work, a review of Australian theatre director Benedict Andrew’s debut at Berlin’s Schaubühne and a report on Dresden’s Level 7 gallery, focal point for new work and critical discussion in central Europe. Belgian composer Erich Sleichim talks about his experimental music theatre work on Antonin Artaud for the Melbourne International Arts Festival. We also look forward to MAAP (Multimedia Arts Asia-Pacific) in Singapore where a RealTime team will respond to the exhibitions and conferences online from October 25.
There are more artists to be congratulated than we have space for, but here’s a shortlist. Belated congratulations to Michael Kantor on his appointment as Artistic Director of Playbox: great news for Australian theatre. Kate Murphy (RT 61, p37) was awarded the $40,000, 2004 NSW Ministry for the Arts Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship for her video work Britney and her proposal to study at the Glasgow School of Art. Multimedia artist Justine Cooper has been granted a 2-year fellowship by the New Media Arts Board of the Australia Council. Independent dancer and choreographer Kay Armstrong (RT 61, p48) has been awarded the 2004 NSW Ministry of the Arts’ Robert Helpman Dance Scholarship which will take her to the UK to work with choreographer Jonathan Burrows and Ruth Zapporrah in Italy. Australian avant garde composer, violinist and writer Jon Rose has been awarded the prestigious $AUS20,000 Karl Sczuka Prize for radio arts for Skeleton in the Museum, a homage to Percy Grainger (broadcast on ABC FM’s The Listening Room before its demise). Marshall Mcguire, virtuoso harpist and new artistic director of Sydney’s contemporary music ensemble, the Seymour Group, has been awarded a well-earned Churchill Fellowship.
Congratulations too to former RealTime Assistant Editor and novelist Mireille Juchau and her partner, screenwriter Blake Ayshford, on the birth of the lovely Evie Inès who made a welcome appearance at the recent launch by Ross Gibson of Michelle Moo’s wonderful, experimental novel about 70s sharpies, Glory This (Local Consumption). RT
RealTime issue #63 Oct-Nov 2004 pg. 3