VILLAGE

Background: This project used ethnographic research methods to investigate firsthand experiences of moving into and living in a retirement village in Launceston, Tasmania. Tasmania’s population is the oldest in Australia and it is ageing the fastest and we know from MacCallum et al’s research that programs that foster intergenerational exchange and relationships can build community resilience. Therefore, this research project used an immersive audio installation alongside workshops that brought together Launceston community members from different generations to build intergenerational empathy and connection. Contribution: VILLAGE was a four-room immersive audio installation that transformed the Polish Hall in Launceston into a timed immersive experience. Audience members would move through the spaces listening to interviews with residents of retirement villages across Launceston. In doing so, the work explored themes of ageing, downsizing, loss, and active retirement. Presented alongside the installation, a series of intergenerational participatory events - including a high tea with high achieving young woman and female elders - demonstrated how intergenerational connection within our communities might begin. Significance: VILLAGE was commissioned by Junction Arts Festival and was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria. Project partners included, Word of Mouth Technology Melbourne, All About Gardens Launceston, and BMW Launceston.