MUST SEES at PUNQ (POP UP NORTH QUEENSLAND)
PUNQ’s Powerful Platform Presents Pioneering Performances and Projects
A performance marking First Nations' history and connection to the water and land along Townsville’s famous Strand Promenade will take place for the first time in over 100 years on Thursday August 1.
This powerful event marks the opening of North Queensland's place-based contemporary arts festival, PUNQ (Pop Up North Queensland) and begins a program where local, national and international artists activate and engage with the region's spaces, histories and futures.
Running from 1 – 18 August 2024, the biennial festival stretches a creative canvas of unique immersive journeys across Gurambilbarra / Townsville, Yunbenun / Magnetic Island, Warrgamay, Nywaigi & Bandjin Country / Hinchinbrook and Gudjal Country / Charters Towers. IMAGERY HERE
TOP 10 UNMISSABLE EXPERIENCES AT PUNQ 2024
MUST-SEE: PUNQ OPENING EVENT - Gundil Released by Big Eye Theatre and Wulgurukaba Walkabouts
Thursday 1 August 5:30pm | FREE | www.umbrella.org.au/gundil-released/
This major new work illuminates a site of Cultural significance located on ‘The Strand Promenade’ where, pre-colonisation, a series of lagoons existed. Through this work, the Wulgurukaba people intend on sharing true name and history of the lagoons which were a ceremonial and gathering site where fresh water was in abundance. It is at Hambeluna where their ancestors performed the brolga (gundil) dance and song, which is recorded in early colonial sketches. In recent years, Wulgurukaba Walkabouts have been performing this dance once again. Gundil Released will see this First Nations' history and connection to the water and land performed for the first time on this site in over 100 years.
TOP 10:
- View the Waymaker Billboard Exhibition while travelling North Queensland’s highways
Thursday 1 August - Sunday 18 August | FREE | www.umbrella.org.au/waymaker/
Waymaker is a captivating art exhibition that celebrates the wisdom and strength of First Nations Elders of North Queensland on road billboards. This exhibition celebrates First Nations stories of the lands between Warrgamay, Nywaigi & Bandjin Country / Hinchinbrook through Wulgurukaba and Bindal Country / Townsville to Gudjal Country / Charters Towers. It’s a powerful trail.
"PUNQ is giving us, Vicki Saylor and Pippa Samaya, a big opportunity to celebrate First Nations Elders of North Queensland through art and collaboration. We are thrilled to be commissioned by Umbrella for a project like Waymaker. It is important to celebrate the work of our Elder’s community in North Queensland and provide a platform to share their inspiring stories." Vicki Saylor and Pippa Samaya
- Discover, Dive, Draw – a contemporary underwater art experience on The Great Barrier Reef
Saturday 10 August - Sunday 11 August | *$625pp (*Hire of BCD & Regulators will be $45.00 extra)
www.umbrella.org.au/punq-discover-dive-draw/
Dive the Great Barrier Reef and draw underwater with artist Kerrie Everett Horrocks. This exceptional two-day workshop experience will take participants to the Great Barrier Reef and Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) to discover, dive and draw – on a boat, in the water and on shore at Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts.
- Visit the PUNQ Art Fair: A Constructed World and see Indentured, a powerful installation by Gail Mabo at a heritage-listed building the heart of Gurambilbarra / Townsville CBD
Saturday 3 August - Sunday 4 August (9am - 4pm) | FREE
Over the first weekend, A Constructed World will take over the old Bank of New South Wales building, a heritage-listed building at 337–343 Flinders Street Townsville built back in 1887.
Gurambillbarra / Townsville based artists will take over – with art installations and works for sale. The rooms provided to the artists are part of a larger maze-like installation inside the building created by local artists, Jan Hynes and Candace Miles.
Indentured by Gail Mabo - Thursday 1 - Sunday 18 August 24 (24hrs) | FREE
www.umbrella.org.au/indentured/
Indentured is a major new public art installation by Gail Mabo. The work illuminates the often unacknowledged and sometimes suppressed Queensland history of South Sea Islander indentured labour in the early colonial era, which is part of the artist’s matrilineal family heritage. In the installation these people become present and unavoidable in the Gurumbilbarra / Townsville CBD.
“Many people may be shocked to learn that the past still echoes in the present, and exploitation of Pacific and South Sea Islander workers is still happening here under our noses. Back in the late 18th century my ancestors were brought here on ships without permission, kept shackled in tunnels and sold like livestock. They worked long hours in brutal tropical heat, far from their families. They were stripped of the basic human rights, access to fair wages and decent working conditions. These were the Indentured!”
"This history is woven into the fabric of my family. Through this artwork, 62,500 lives are made present and impossible to ignore in the heart of Gurambilbarra / Townsville." Gail Mabo
- Immerse yourself in the world premiere of Coiling by Baylee Griffin and Jenn Ma
Wednesday 14 August - Sunday 18 August 6:30pm | Various Sessions | $35 General Admission | $30 Concession | www.umbrella.org.au/coiling/
Clay and flesh spiral as one in this experimental performance. Coiling is an intimate meditative experience delving into the parallel cycles of the human and clay bodies. Inside the re-imagined space of the old Commonwealth Bank, a fabric installation acts as a billowing sculpture surrounding the performers and audiences.
- Experience STILL – a sunrise sound bath
Tuesday 6 - Sunday 11 August (5:40 - 6:40am) | $40 Concession | $50 General Admission | $0 *Community Access (2 per show) | www.umbrella.org.au/still/
Still is an immersive sonic journey curated by Dancenorth’s Artistic Director Kyle Page and set to the sounds of Canadian composer Jessica Moss.
“Still is housed in a 40-foot shipping container which we worked with Tasmanian company Liminal Spaces to architecturally engineer. The container acts as a seating bank and sound shell, kitted with 32 speakers that fully envelop audiences in the beautiful soundscape created by Canadian composer Jessica Moss and Sound Artist and Designer Byron J Scullin.”
- Step back in time with Kiri-Edo: The Japanese House and Stirring Histories in Ingham (Warrgamay, Nywaigi & Bandjin Country / Hinchinbrook) and attend their Artist Talks
Thursday 1 - Sunday 18 August 24 | FREE
ARTIST TALKS:
Elysha Rei (Kiri Edo)– Sunday 18 August at 12:15pm
Alison McDonald (Stirring Histories) – Sunday 11 & 18 August at 10:30am
Kiri-edo: Japanese House is a site-specific installation which responds to the oldest and finest known traditional piece of architecture outside of Japan. Created by Japanese Australian artist Elysha Rei, this work honours traditional Japanese aesthetic principals around light, shadow and pattern with a paper-cut installation that captures the essence of Japanese aesthetics and the history of Japan and Australia dating back to the late 19th century.
Stirring Histories is a site specific and kinetic artwork and aims to take audiences on a journey though layered narratives through a very recognisable and kitsch implement that serves as a conduit to history.
- Explore the PUNQ Art Trail Map and Fringe Art Trail
Thursday 1 - Sunday 18 August 24 | FREE* | *Some workshops are ticketed
Art Trail Map: https://bit.ly/PUNQarttrailmap
Follow the interactive map using Google My Maps to PUNQ’s site specific programs across the region.
The Fringe Art Trail is an extension of PUNQ's site-specific programs. Artists across the region have transformed their studios, shops, and chosen spaces into temporary creative hubs open to PUNQ audiences to explore. Visit https://bit.ly/PUNQarttrailmap to see how to use the map.
- View the first Australian Commission by critically and internationally acclaimed artist, Anida Yoeu Ali: The Red Chador: Stranded
Friday 26 July - Sunday 8 September (Tues - Fri 9am - 5pm, Sat - Sun 9am - 1pm) | FREE
In this film, The Red Chador and her Rainbow Brigade of chadoras arrive to the shores, streets, sidewalks, parks, stadiums, concert halls and landmarks of Gurambilbarra / Townsville. Emerging from Banyan trees, waterfalls and barracks the seven chadoras must navigate a local landscape filled with anxieties, fear, love and hope— all intersecting at the juncture of art, militarism and athleticism.
Ali recently had a mid-career retrospective mounted by the Seattle Museum of Art and has performed and exhibited at the Haus der Kunst, Palais de Tokyo, Musée d'art Contemporain Lyon, Jogja National Museum, Malay Heritage Centre of Singapore, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, The Smithsonian, and Queensland Art Gallery| Gallery of Modern Art.
“We didn’t realize at the time how relevant this film would be. This work honours a geo-political moment in which Muslim bodies are literally being bombed to bits, particularly women and children. And it is part of a much bigger historical struggle in which occupation and militarism have devastated entire populations and lands. It’s important now more than ever that we see Muslims as people who deserve love, respect, dignity and humanization as much as anyone else on this planet.”
— Anida Yoeu Ali & Masahiro Sugano
- Take an evening road trip to Gudjal Country / Charters Towers to be captivated by Gold Dust by Tara Samaya followed by the Twilight Arts Markets
From 5:30pm 17th August | FREE | www.umbrella.org.au/gold-dust/
www.umbrella.org.au/twilight-arts-market/
Gold Dust is a live performance art experience that scatters gold back into the historic town of Charters Towers, where fortunes where both made and lost. With elaborate costume design, sound provocations and bold movement, this is a ritualistic and fantastical convergence by dance artist Tara Jade Samaya. The Twilight Arts Markets celebrates local creativity and community spirit, showcasing a diverse array of handmade arts and crafts, unique jewellery, stunning artworks, and much more.
10. Visit all the above in curated PUNQ Tours (bookings at www.punq.org.au)
YUNBENUN / MAGNETIC ISLAND: Art, Food & Studio Tours with an Ocean View
10 August & 18 August 2024 | $45 per adult ($35 concession)
Discover stories of Yunbenun / Magnetic Island with an exclusive PUNQ Tour through lush tropical landscapes, exhibitions, studios and place-based commissioned works.
WARRGAMAY, NYWAIGI & BANDJIN COUNTRY / HINCHINBROOK: Art, Food & Studio Tours | 11 August & 18 August 2024 | $50 per adult ($40 concession)
Crafted specifically to celebrate the place-based works of the PUNQ Warrgamay, Nywaigi & Bandjin Country program, each tour includes major new commissions, exhibitions, studio tours and local cafes.
GUDJAL COUNTRY / CHARTERS TOWERS: Art, Gold & History Tour
10 August (matinee) & 17 August (evening) 2024 | $45 per adult ($35 concession)
Explore the remnants of a bygone gold rush era, delve into a combination of exhibitions, and be captivated by the stories whispered by the land itself.
ABOUT PUNQ:
PUNQ is a biennial place-making festival which activates and engages with spaces, histories, and futures through art. It celebrates the distinct landscapes of North Queensland to inspire cultural exchange and reimagine expectations, transform perceptions and provide unique creative experiences for locals and visitors alike.
PUNQ is produced by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts. The festival is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. Townsville City Council is a funding partner of PUNQ.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PUNQ is produced by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts. The festival is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. Townsville City Council is a funding partner of PUNQ.
Contact details:
Kath Rose
0416 291 493
Kath@kathrose.com
