Franck Gohier

Brown's Mart Theatre: Fabulously Forty

By Guest BloggerSandra Thibodeux

Thu 27 Sep 2012

Image Credit: Poster by Red Hand Prints

It's been the hub of Darwin's arts scene since the days of HQ panel vans and Cat Stevens. From October 4th to 7th, Brown's Mart celebrates its 40th birthday with theatre, music, comedy, film, visual art and more. There's even a cake.

When I first arrived in Darwin in 1993, my housemate took me to a place called Brown's Mart. Not sure what to expect - cheap umbrellas and frozen mangoes, perhaps? - I was completely mesmerised by what took place in this intimate, old theatre ... There were groups of people wielding bamboo poles, making music out of them; there was poetry and theatre; there was a woman in black robes singing a song in French - and that was all in the first ten minutes! This has been the nature of Brown's Mart over its forty years of existence as a theatre - it provides a meeting place for different art forms; it offers arts and entertainment for diverse audiences in a friendly and accessible venue.
The first play I wrote was performed at Brown's Mart in 1996. Back then, the Mart was running the Darwin Fringe Festival and Jane Tonkin was Artistic Director. Getting my first play up at the Mart was as simple as walking up the stairs and saying, 'I've got a play I'd like to perform'. Staff were so supportive and the financial deal was great. As a newcomer, I was surprised to discover I made money from the whole affair! Anyway, from that play, I went on to more plays and also worked occasionally as Publicist on the Fringe. With this background, I was really excited to be given the task of co-ordinating a 4-day birthday party in the Mart's honour! So many things to celebrate!
I began by asking Franck Gohier to be our Artist-in-Residence. Franck has a long history with the Mart and with Darwin arts, generally. His posters and album covers have become iconic. We'll present an exhibition of his poster art but we'll also re-imagine the precinct in a 70s Gohier ambience - lava lamps, bright colours, dizzying circles. The Mart will be open during daytimes so that people can enjoy the art and also flick through slides and videos while being entertained with our house Hosts and Ghosts. Opening hours and program information can be found here.
Arts organisations and individual artists have come out in force to celebrate our birthday with us. Over the 4-day program, there will be theatre, film, music, poetry and more offered by groups such as Corrugated Iron Youth Arts, the NT Writers' Centre, Darwin Community Arts, Darwin Theatre Company, the Mills family and the Darwin Youth Choir. I've been excited to revive two Brown's Mart traditions from the old days - the tribute night and the FIGJAM night of Indigenous music. Brown's Mart tribute nights have an unfortunate habit of killing off their hero so here's hoping nothing bad will happen to David Bowie! The tribute night will be on Saturday, 6th October, and will feature some of Darwin's best musicians such as Roy Mackonkey and David Garnham. Meanwhile, FIGJAM on 5th October will be a pumping night with The Young Guns, Shellie Morris, Rock Wallaby Band (Gunbalanya) and the Sandridge Band (Borroloola).
We'll kick off the festivities with something a little more relaxed, however, as Jason de Santis gets some hot couples on the couch for Brown's Mart: A Love Story. Patrons will hear the juicy details of the fabulously scandalous backstage lives of Tom & Tessa Pauling, Gail Evans & Todd Williams, and Alex Galeazzi & Panos Couros. A violin will flesh out what can't be said in public. 7:30; Thursday 4th October.
We hope to see you around during our 4-day party. Those living away from Darwin may send their memories and best wishes to admin@ brownsmart.com.au.

LAST CHANCE TICKETS

Posted on 01 Nov 2012

ONLY TWO DAYS TO GET YOUR TICKET TO THE GAD SUMMER PARTY THIS SATURDAY

Don't forget ticket price includes canapes, drinks and the chance to take home a phenomenal lucky door prize of a SIGNED AND FRAMED ORIGINAL John Gollings photograph. John Gollings is the most important and eminent architectural photographer currently working in this country.

Legendary Canberra designer Robert Foster is our special guest speaker.

Music by THE BARON AND HIS HIP POCKET ORCHESTRA and GAD SECRET 2012 including our original postcard sale are for one night only. Our SECRET POSTCARDS are selling for $200 + GST however several of the artists who have made a postcard for us (see a selection in the image attached) sell their paintings for thousands of dollars. You won't know who made yours until you buy it which adds to the fun but you could very well make a very good art investment on the night. There will also be a design showcase with pieces sold at below retail to give our guests a special chance to take home something special.

Here's a list of some of the the wonderful artists who are contributing to our party:

Jason Bird (LUXXBOX), Sonia Blair, Penny Byrne, Tony Clark, Saini Copp, Geoff Farquhar, Dianne Firth, Robert Foster, Franck Gohier, Marie Hagerty, Marc Harrison (HUSK) Jamie Hawkesworth, Derek Henderson, Chayni Henri, Erin Hinton, Axel Hoedt, Alison Jackson, Megan Jackson, Paul Krix, Tyrone Lebon, Anthony Luvera, Yasmin Majidi, Ian Marr, Zeljko Markov, eX de Medici, Derek O’Connor, Sharon Peoples, Giles Price, Tom Pye, Joan Ross, David Sequeira, Fleur Shell, Tom Skeehan, Ben Taylor, Peter Vandermark, Charlie White and more.

MOST IMPORTANTLY this is our major fundraiser of the year so you having a great time helps us keep doing our work championing Australian Design.

Bookings in advance only: www.thegreatgadsummerparty.eventbrite.com

Roads Cross: Contemporary Directions in Australian Art

roads cross: an exhibition at the intersection of contemporary Australian art.
Opened first at Flinders University Art Museum in June this year, roads cross explores a subject first discussed in the late 80s when Indigenous art secured a public platform on a global scale. At that time, curators and historians were interested in the dialogue between the practices of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists; the way landscape, culture and history interplayed in the work of artists.
And while this exploration often took the form of placing Indigenous and non-Indigenous works side by side to highlight points of contact through visual similarities, cultural exchange is explored in more subtle ways in roads cross, says CDU Art Collection and Art Gallery curator Anita Angel. “Various exhibitions over the years have looked at what the impact has been of exposure to Aboriginal art in purely stylistic or retinal terms. roads cross ventures further, examining a range of media, diverse subject matter and styles deployed by artists living and working across the country, whether metropolitan, regional or remote.”
The exhibition takes its name from the work of North Kimberley artist Rover Thomas, whose work Crossroads appears in the exhibition. The meeting or crossing of roads, represented by an ‘X’, was a recurring motif in Thomas’ work, symbolising his own experiences at the intersection between Indigenous and non-Indigenous culture.
French-born, Darwin-based artist Franck Gohier is a local Darwin artist represented in roads cross, whose work Rainstorm over Kununurra (pictured above) is a homage to the people of the Kimberley with whom he worked. The inclusion of Gohier and Thomas together is also significant; as the co-founder of the former NTU Print Workshop (today Northern Editions) in the early 90s, Gohier and Thomas worked closely together.
“Not only does Franck’s Rainstorm over Kununurra give a north Australian perspective to the show,” says Angel, “but its juxtaposition with Thomas’s Crossroads reflects a creative cross-fertilisation that occurs in that space where artists – no matter their race, colour or creed – meet and work together,” she says. “Rover’s diagonal cross motif is the ‘X’ that marks the spot. It is a symbolic point of departure for the whole show. It’s also about where artists meet on the same ground and what happens in that space – something that’s had a significant impact on the course of contemporary Australian art.”
When: Artists and Curator Floor Talk Thur 22 Nov | 12-1pm & Sat 24 Nov | 11am-12pm
Where: CDU Gallery, Casuarina Campus
http://www.cdu.edu.au/advancement/artcollection/cduartgallery.html

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Brown's Mart Theatre: Fabulously Forty

By Guest BloggerSandra Thibodeux

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LAST CHANCE TICKETS

Posted on 01 Nov 2012

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