Year 2023
Here is a summary of events for Igneous from the year 2023
Our projects and activities
We completed the film Voices of Hakka Women with five different language versions. It was an award winner [short doc] at Moondance International Film Festival, Boulder, USA; semi-finalist at Her Vision Film Festival, New York, USA; got a special mention at The Asia South East—Short Film Festival, London, UK; and was shown in the Asia Feedback Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, and the Women’s International Film Festival, Newark, USA.
Suzon created miniature galaxies and took the installation ASSEMBLE to PQ2023 (Prague Quadrennial), working with Belgian composer Bob Vanderbob for the video part, and collaborating with ASEKOL, an e-waste company in Prague.
James created the streaming website Evidence Earth Existed with photo slideshows of his walks in streets, creeks and wetlands.
Suzon had a residency in Vollenhove, the Netherlands, creating polder kolder, a video with Annie Abrahams and Jan de Weille.
Suzon conducted the workshop ‘Sculptures Electroniques Recyclees’ for children 8–12 using e-waste, which was organised by Youplaboum in Brussels.
Suzon was in residence at Magdalena Montpellier Festival, making the installation Archeo-Galaxy with e-waste in the context of the closing event, and gave two workshops to TAFE students. James came for the end of the residency to help set up the installation.
James partook in the 10-day School of Nomadic Urbanism—organised by Wiels and Cifas as part of Feral2023 Festival, in Brussels, had a mini residency at Das Klöhauschen, in Munich, and a 2-week Walking As Practice residency at Björkö Konstnod, Sweden.
James and Suzon attended the Symposium Walking is still honest: about moving and being together in Vilnius, Lithuania, where James did the performance Still/City with about 40 participants.
In Brussels, they both exhibited in the group exhibition 5 at Youplaboum: James with animation and photo-media prints, Suzon with sculpture, jewellery and artist books.
Outside Jobs/partnerships/collaborations
James performed in Ellis Hutch’s Flow States in Botanica.
Links
Year 2022
Here are some noteworthy events for Igneous from the year 2022
January
Suzon took up the position of 'Provocator' for the development of the play So Near So Far by EmmaChe Reathke.
February
Suzon resumed volunteering at E-Waste Connection one day a week.
Suzon undertook a silversmithing course at Brisbane Institute of Art (BIA).
Members of the Igneous Management Committee living in the Northern Rivers were impacted by the floods.
March
We provided flood clean-up support to BIA in Brisbane, and frozen home-cooked meals to folks in Lismore.
We began working on the translations of poems for Voices of Hakka Women—a video project with Ya-Ling Peng in Taiwan.
April
Suzon's video triptych was screened as part of the Vulcana Cinemata program.
May
James started Butoh classes with Yuki Taniguchi.
Suzon created the video-scenography for On Your Wings by Amaranta Osorio, with James doing the voiceover.
June
On Your Wings had a work in progress showing in the Transit Festival in Denmark.
Suzon joined the 3-month Fashioning Technology workshop with Tara Pattenden.
July
We coordinated the international vocal recordings of actresses for Voices of Hakka Women—remotely for those overseas, and in the studio for those in Brisbane.
So Near So Far had a work in progress showing at QPAC.
Suzon started working with French producer Nadine Massaro, for promotion of BE LIKE BODY–OBSOLETE.
August
BE LIKE BODY–OBSOLETE was performed online for the Along The Edge International Festival in Hong Kong.
September
We began the 7-week shoot/record/rough edit in Taiwan of Voices of Hakka Women, with Ya-Ling Peng, Uhan Shii theatre, and guests.
October
We got taken on a 3-day road trip with Umav Balalavi around Kaoshiung district to meet indigenous people.
November
Back in Brisbane, we completed the first draft of Voices of Hakka Women.
December
We had two stalls at the Tupong Christmas Market, in Annerley.
Year 2021
Here are some noteworthy events for Igneous from the year 2021
Our projects and activities
Be Like Body–Obsolete had a creative development at Merivale Studio - QPAC, and was performed in the Magdalena Online Festival, the 30th International Festival Mujeres En Escena Por La Paz in Colombia (video version), and in Mestiza Chile Festival (live - simplified version).
The e-book Be Like Body–Obsolete was designed and published under the ISBN: 978-0-9925610-1-7
The Waterwheel archive was taken offline.
SuzonFuksDesign was entered in markets in Paddington, Westend, Annerley and Brussels.
Outside Jobs/partnerships/collaborations
Website designs for Playmoves, YogaYeronga, and the Magdalena Online Festival.
Documentation for Magdalena Online Festival, and the showreel for NEW UpStage
Before the First (video). Compiled by Annie Abrahams, Helen Varley Jamieson and Suzon Fuks. Edited by Suzon Fuks.
Links
Documentation of 'Be Like Body–Obsolete' on VIMEO
full performance: https://vimeo.com/suzon/belikebody-obsolete-documentation
artists talk: https://vimeo.com/suzon/blikebody-artiststalk
poets reciting their text: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8498291
5min excerpts: https://vimeo.com/suzon/excerpts-for-assemble
Before the First (video) https://vimeo.com/503467731
Playmoves (website) https://playmoves.org
Yoga Yeronga (website) https://yogayeronga.com
Magdalena Online Festival (website) https://onlinefestival.themagdalenaproject.org
Year 2020
Here is a summary of events for Igneous from the year 2020
Our projects and activities
Reading The Nauru Files 2020 was live streamed on Facebook as a global 24hr online performance with about 60 readers (July)
For Be Like Body – Obsolete #4, Suzon accumulated stripped technology for set (Aug–Dec), and in November exhibited the Obsolete Series artist books in ABBE book fair.
The Fragmentation video was streamed by University of Colorado – Boulder in December.
Outside Jobs/partnerships/collaborations
We designed and created seed boxes, eco-dyed cards + Groundings audio sticks for Creative Recovery’s Love Boxes.
Suzon initiated a monthly curated meeting AT:HOME:LIVE, in the lead up to Magdalena Online Festival.
We worked on two creative developments for Baran Theatre. Hejab: Development and filming at Baran Studio and Dutton Park (June/July), and Disappearance Project: 2–week residency at Vulcana (Nov–Dec)
We did the video documentation of Vulcana Circus’ Rear Vision show in Vulcana carpark (Dec).
Year 2019
Here is a summary of events for Igneous from the year 2019
Our projects and activities
Suzon created a series of Artist Books using obsolete technology and used cooking foil.
Reading The Nauru Files 2019 was a 24hr online performance on Facebook, live streaming event with 50 readers.
Wetland Wander was exhibited at Redlands Performing Arts Centre and Redlands Gallery, Cleveland (Sep–Oct), and in Griffith stand at BIIG Conference, Brisbane (Oct). We conducted Children and Adults Workshops, and created a card game for workshops.
We ran Beautiful Rising Workshops, finding missions and designing actions for a small group of activist artists.
In an Open Studio, Suzon and Katrine exhibited books, sculpture, photos and jewellery.
What I Did Not Say (Igneous co-production) toured to
- Kolkata, India (Tantidhatri Festival)
- Madrid, Spain - Theatre and Feminism Conference at RESAD
- Holstebro, Denmark - Transit Festival
- Montpellier, France - Magdalena Montpellier Festival
- Quito, Ecuador - Festival “Tiempos de mujer”
Outside Jobs/partnerships/collaborations
James ran Disability Arts Workshops for The Last Avant Garde - the MelbU/AAV/SydU/ARC research project, AKA ‘Disability and the Performing Arts in Australia: Beyond the Social Model’.
Baran - Tower of Babel - at Metro Arts. James training cast and Suzon making video-scenography and documentation
Year 2018
Here is a summary of events for Igneous from the year 2018
Our projects and activities
We worked with Dr Fernanda Adame and Leah Barclay to create Wetland Wander. The project raised awareness about wetland values, connected with Traditional Owners, was supported by the Queensland Government, and had the following outcomes: website, series of postcards, IMMERSIVE INSTALLATION dual-channel video projection & quadraphonic sound, and SCREEN-BASED WORKS: video walks, dronescapes, interviews.
We co-produced, with Ripe Dance, the dance video In A Different Space–Elders Dancing. Suzon was DOP and editor, and made videos to crowdfund via the Australia Cultural Fund in order to pay composer Guy Webster to make an original soundtrack. It had a first screening at the end of May 2018 for the participants, then was shown in festivals in Australia, UK, and USA.
Reading the Nauru Files was live streamed for 24 hrs on Facebook, with 50 readers.
We co-produced the creative development of Amaranta Osorio’s performance What I Did Not Say. Suzon was outside eye and video-scenographer and James was movement consultant. It occurred during residencies at Artephile in Avignon, and Duomo Theatre in Santiago de Chile. The work-in-progres was shown in the 3rd International Mestiza Chile Festival.
Outside Jobs/partnerships/collaborations
Suzon mentored Marion Conrow for a year, under an Australia Council Grant - Experimental & Emerging Arts.
James continued training the cast of Baran’s Tower of Babel, and Suzon created video-scenography and documentation.
Year 2017
Here is a summary of events for Igneous from the year 2017
Our projects and activities
The National Library of Australia made a large acquisition of documentary photographs of commercial kitchens of King Street, Newtown, and Oxford Street, Paddington, Darlinghurst and Bondi Junction.
James and Suzon were artists in residence at Villa Waldberta, Munich for 3 months. They were part of the Overflow project, which included exhibitions at Domagk Halle, and at REW (Bureau of Work), Munich. They conducted Walkshops in Feldafing, created #wecandobetter installation performance, and captured slow walks in creeks.
Reading the Nauru Files was live streamed on Facebook.
Suzon upskilled in bookbinding in a masterclass at SLQ.
#wecandobetter was the basis for workshops and performances for Magdalena Segunda Generación Festival, in Buenos Aires and Pinamar.
Suzon attended (upon invitation) the Water Futures forum in Melbourne organised by Tipping Point Australia in the context of AsiaTOPA Festival.
James and Suzon attended Balance/Unbalance Conference in Plymouth, UK, presenting Fluidata sound installation and a walkshop.
Suzon attended the IETM plenary meeting in Brussels with the Australian Delegation, and gave a lecture at the Arts Academy, in Tournai.
Outside Jobs/partnerships/collaborations
James trained the Baran cast for their season in Melbourne.
We did a video and photo shoot of a reading of Therese Collie's play White China at QT.
Suzon continued the development of The Book of Space in the Magdalena Festival in Santa Clara, Cuba, and at Odin Teatret in Hostebro, Denmark.
Suzon did a photo shoot of Gush’s circus/theatre piece Monsteria.
Shannanigans in Europe
Shannanigans in Europe
– posted by James Cunningham –
Suzon & I get up to luscious good things whilst artists in residence in Munich, with side trips to other (relatively) nearby locales. Just these last two weeks, we gave comments on papers presented at the OffTheLip17 conference by researchers at CogNovo — Plymouth University’s Cognitive Innovation research centre. We then participated in discussions on data visualisation at DataPlay7, a joint initiative of Plymouth council and i-DAT. The main attraction of Devon for us, was presenting our FLUIDATA soundscape (the “talking bowls” with interviews and creek sounds), and leading a walkshop, Creekwalk — Challenging ‘Getting There’ and Exploring ‘Being Here’, in Balance/Unbalance 2017. We saw and heard interesting papers and works, and met many wonderful people, including one who might turn out to be a collaborator with us in a future project.
Walkshop Feldafing (free)
Walkshop Feldafing (free)
CHALLENGING ‘GETTING THERE’ AND EXPLORING ‘BEING HERE’
Starting Place: Feldafing Railway Station Time: 3–6pm Date: Sunday, August 13, 2017 Cost: Free Contact: James -- mob: 0176 6841 4086
Suzon Fuks and James Cunningham (Co-Artistic Directors, Igneous) will lead participants through a series of processes developed since 2007 and deepened during their 2014–15 project ‘FLUIDATA’ which included over 2 dozen slow creek walks throughout Queensland, Australia.
‘Seeking alternatives to the received lifestyle of instantaneousness, productivity, and “getting there” (the straight line), we make the deliberate decision to slow down, allowing our bodies—and our digital devices—to absorb the landscape and the moment–”being here”. Unhurriedly, we walk “the way of the water” (the meander).’
The workshop involves grounding through body-based awareness, slowing down, being deliberately still, and allowing one’s body to absorb the surroundings and the moment, and includes walking “the way of the water” down a section of Starzenbach creek in Feldafing.
The session will allow for discussion around the ways in which the manufactured infrastructures we traverse daily, corral us into lives of instantaneousness, productivity, and “getting there”—and exploration of alternative notions, such as “being here”, reversibility, curiosity and wonder in what already exists, and making connections between inner and outer worlds.
Participants need to have somewhere secure they can leave their bags so they are free of them when doing the activity (eg. car at station or Villa Waldberta, 10min walk away).
Note: we may be walking in the natural creek bed with water up to knee level.
WHAT TO WEAR:
- Pants: appropriate for “muddy explorations” or shorts
- Footwear: gumboots or well-soled sandals
- Sunscreen, hat and long sleeves.
- Have towel ready for change of outfit after activity.
FACILITATOR’S BIOGRAPHIES:
SUZON FUKS is an artist bridging art, science and the environment, using body-based practices, the moving image, photography and interactive technologies. She initiated the Water-wheel.net global community and platform. Her current focuses are water issues, refugees and knowledge transmission.
JAMES CUNNINGHAM is a performance, movement, video and networked performance practitioner working in social, environmental and architectural surroundings, exploring the limits of bodily perception, performativity and the relationality of one’s self with others, objects, and environments.
IGNEOUS, Australian multi-arts organisation established in 1997, has been directed by James Cunningham and Suzon Fuks since its inception. Igneous’ work has received national and international recognition across a broad spectrum including networked performance, dance, screendance, new media, disability, puppetry, live art and visual theatre. Their interests lay in research, processes, interaction and diversity.
Residencies 2017
Residencies 2017
Igneous co-artistic directors have begun a series of artistic residencies abroad. Both Suzon and James are spending three months at Villa Waldberta outside Munich, then Suzon will go on to Holstebro, Denmark, and to Brazil. They are attending conferences, collaborating with local artists, developing new works and presenting in various contexts. See their blogs for updates and more info.
https://suzonfuks.net
https://cunningham.igneous.org.
Already, Suzon has completed a new book-sculpture, and James has been documenting his creek walks. Tuesday, 18 July, they perform together in a group show in the underground storm-water canals of Munich. Facebook event
Go team! Suzon and James in Munich Underground, collaborating in the OVERFLOW project
Suzon Fuks and James Cunningham have been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. Suzon Fuks is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.