Liquid Architecture 13: Antarctic Convergence

BACKGROUND A range of opportunities for artists to visit the great polar regions (eg Alice Giles, Matthew Lorenzon in the Arctic) have brought these unique regions to the arts. As guest curators Samartzis and Lawrence English crafted a program of concerts, exhibitions and talks focussing on the Antarctic by drawing on a range of Australian and international artists who had undertaken fieldwork in Antarctica: live performance works were in surround sound; there was an exhibition of spatial- temporal works; plus a screening program. Inventively, a CD as catalogue had excerpts of sound, image and text that complemented the program. The curatorial aim was to investigate the philosophical, social and environmental ramifications of the growing human presence in Antarctica through the activities of a diverse set of artists. Programs varied as The Antarctic Convergence toured. CONTRIBUTION In Melbourne and Brisbane the festival included an exhibition of core artists including international guests Chris Watson (UK), and Andrea Juan (Argentina) along with locals Scott Morrison, David Burrows and the curators. In Melbourne, NZ musician Phil Dadson performed too. Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth had 2 multi-speaker concerts, with the curators' works plus Robin Fox, Douglas Quinn, Werner Dafeldecker (Austria) and Anne Colomes (Fr). SIGNIFICANCE Real Time magazine sent Jared Davis to cover the whole tour and report via a blog. "The very fact that Liquid Architecture has grown into a major, national event reveals that the exploratory sound cultures of its focus are not as niche as once thought". A multifaceted event creating different festivals across Australia, reflecting collaborative thinking, other cities were Bendigo, Sydney and Auckland.