When: Opening 5pm, Friday the 4th of December as part of the Renew Newcastle First Friday event (see below for a full listing of events).
Until: Show is up till Thursday the 24th of December.
Gallery opening hours: Thursday & Friday, 12 to 5pm, Saturday, 11 to 4pm. Or by appointment.
What's on .....
Play 109 is an interactive sound, video and graffiti installation by Damian Castaldi & Solange Kershaw (sodacake) in collaboration with Neil Jenkins and Jake Lewis of the Amerg Collective.
sodacake convert the downstairs gallery at Loop Space into a walk-through, floor to ceiling, 12 channel stringed instrument, which can be plucked, bowed or simply touched to play any one of 4 soft synth instruments and/or sampled audio from the Hunter St mall. Their work uses the Infusion Systems I-CubeX microDig sensor interface and 12 mercury sensors to trigger sound & music from the application Logic Pro's Sculpture plugin. The program physically models the components of acoustic instruments then feeds them through a chain of adjustments, modulation, keyboard scaling and morphing. A live audio feed from the Hunter St mall is sampled and processed using the EXS-24 software sampler.
Neil Jenkins is an artist/programmer (see: http://www.devoid.co.uk/). Neil’s work uses slit camera techniques to transform a live video feed of the Hunter St mall, visitors are 'scanned' as they move in and out of frame creating a continuous temporal visualisation of the space mapped over time. The live video feed is projected above the 12 channel stringed instrument and illuminates the space.
Amerg Collective, are a Newcastle and Sydney based artists collective that specialize in interior and exterior artwork production. All having deep roots in the aerosol art community both locally and internationally, and over ten years experience in the street art and graffitti movement. They have worked with sodacake to create a visual backdrop to the sound installation in both the front window and internal wall space of the gallery.
Play 109 is the second in a series of interactive sound installations sodacake are installing in 2009/2010. The first, Play 44 was installed in Melbourne in October 2009 at the historic house, Villa Alba in Kew (see: http://sodacake.com/?page_id=128). Each installation transforms a different location (shopfront, historic house, gallery, mall etc ...) into a musical instrument, which people can then engage with and play. The instrument changes uniquely in relation to the location and its surroundings and takes the number of the street address for the title of the work, (as in 109 Hunter St Newcastle and 44 Walmer St Kew). An underlying influence in this series of sound installations comes from the late 1940's and 1950's movement known as Musique Concrète, in that its pioneer Pierre Schaeffer, "emphasized the importance of play (in his terms, jeu) in the creation of music. Schaeffer’s idea of jeu comes from the French verb jouer, which carries the same double meaning as the English verb play: ‘to enjoy oneself by interacting with one’s surroundings’, as well as ‘to operate a musical instrument’.” This notion is the core of Musique Concrète and an underlying influence to Play 109.
On the First Friday of the month in December (Friday 4th) the Renew Newcastle art and creative projects will host a collection of special events in the early evening 5 – 8pm. It’s a chance to meet the artists and see them at work, as well as experience the inner city in a different way after dark.
New Projects ...
Red Lantern Night Market is a visual feast and festive playground for emerging artists showcasing their wares – perfect for unique and handmade Christmas gift shopping. From 4pm-9pm, each Friday night in December (4th, 11th, 18th ) the Whalebones in the East end of the Mall will come alive with Market Stalls, Food and Live entertainment. From the people who brought you the Olive Tree Markets at the Junction.
Makespace moved out of their Renew Newcastle shopfront last month but we have found them a new home! Funky kids clothes, jewellery, toys, household décor, women’s clothes, accessories and all manner of other wondrous hand made goods will be back on the racks any day now. Join them for their Opening Night Party in a new shop, 5pm-8pm at 19 Wolfe St (just off the Hunter St Mall, opposite David Jones)
L!vesites Illuminated Sculptures are being made in a series of FREE workshops on Saturdays in November, under the direction of sculptor Ken O’Reagan. Join the artist and workshop participants for a grand illumination at 7.30pm, Shop 45 Hunter St Mall (opposite Sportsgirl)
Momentum Project is a collaborative project for visual geeks which is growing daily, developed by Design students from University of Newcastle and TAFE. Drop in anytime to see how it is developing, or join them for their Closing Party 5pm-8pm, Suite 40, 1st Floor Market Square (Up the escalator & follow the signs).
The Hive Studios has three new artists sharing a studio space - David Hampton, Trine Deans and Rebecca Holmes. To celebrate their arrival, they are having a stall at the Red Lantern Night Market - Bec will selling paintings, while Trine and David have turned their hands to badge and brooch making. David has been drawing boats, trains and time machines, covering the results in shellac (water and hug proofing them) and attaching pins to the back. Trine has been hand-printing silk-screens of famous artists she has drawn onto plywood. Meet the artists, buy their work - until 9pm, in the Red Lantern Night Market stall area.
New Exhibitions ...
Loop Space new exhibition opening night - Play 109 is an interactive sound, video and graffiti installation involving a floor-to-ceiling 12 channel stringed instrument and live visual feed from Hunter St Mall, which you can play. By Damian Castaldi & Solange Kershaw (sodacake) in collaboration with Neil Jenkins and the Amerg Collective. From 5pm, 109 Hunter St Mall
Totoro’s Tea House invite you to join their Circus with a new exhibition and live “acrobatic” entertainment performance. O, and Tea! Until 8pm, Shop 1, 111 Hunter St Mall
Arthive new exhibition sneak preview – Secret Santa involves a lucky-dip of small works by local artists, friends and makers. In the spirit of Christmas no money will change hands. Until 8pm, Upstairs, 111 Hunter St (entrance off Morgan St)
Special Offers ....
Mad Hatter Millinery are hosting a demonstration to Make Your Own Fascinator –even if you aren’t a ‘hat person’ or aren’t going to the races you’ll have a perfect festive outfit for all the Christmas parties coming up! Workshop 5.30pm - 6.30pm at Shop 18-19 Market Square Terrace Level
Shannon Hartigan Images & Framing will have a 20% Off everything Christmas Sale between 5pm-8pm at Shop 21 Market Square Terrace Level
Bird in the Hand Zine Shop will be hosting its first Letter Writing Club – all invited for tea and biscuits and a chance to take some old-fashioned letter writing time. At 6pm , 101a King St
Emerald Arts will hold a workshop on making your own watercolour dyed wrapping paper as well as a Pass the Parcel lucky dip. From 6.30pm, Shop 2 196 Hunter St Mall
Ciao Meow Gallery are staying open late for unique Christmas gift shopping, showing off their new ranges for summer: hand made Chrissie cards; elegant light cotton kaftans; and a range of mens t-shirts and photographs by Matt Streatfield. And, at 6pm they've organised The Dance Of Life women to gift a beautiful bellydance performance. Until 9pm, Shop 2, 111 Hunter St Mall.
Vox Cyclops is an independent record store and gallery located at 515 Hunter St. They are making a special guest appearance in the Mall area especially for the Market and First Friday - so if you are curious about what they do but have never made it up to Newcastle West to visit the shop, here's your chance. Until 9pm, in the Red Lantern Night Market stall area.
Renew Newcastle Special News
Alex from Surfhouse Photography moved out of her Renew Newcastle shopfront in October, but has now taken a commercial lease and is opening up a new shop just down the road. Congratulations Alex! Join Alex for her Opening Party from 5.30pm in her new premises at 61 Hunter St, (btwn Bolton & Watt Sts, opposite The Lock-Up)
Renew Newcastle Partners
Our friends at L!vesites will be on location with some street performers to spice up the evening and offer up early Christmas presents in the unveiling of a light and sound installation near Wolfe St.
There'll be so much festive cheer, you won't know what to do with yourself!
