The exhibition opened in the Old Birrego School. We called it From Our School House. With four projections and two soundscapes and lots and lots of people from the community, we created new collective memory.
Opening night is a part of the process. And this project is process driven.
From Our School House exhibition opening reception at the Old Birrego School. Opened by Judith Blackall, Head of Artistic Programming, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
One local woman in response to our work commented, “It makes you realize that we are just a tiny footprint in time. Many ghosts would have walked through that gate.”
Mayu Kanamori
I wished I could come to the opening. I say I didn’t have time, but I would’ve had time if I could control my perception of time. I am an ascetic monk in the mountain of inner-self. I can’t wait to hear from you what energy you created and released to the space of site and the space of people’s memories.
The opening night was great! Congratulations to you Mayu, Vic and Sarah (+Holly) for such an involved and special event. I will keep this weekend’s experience close to my heart for a long time. I am really impressed by the community response to the project, with people taking the time to travel to the school, introduce themselves and be open to a new artistic project which utilised, what must have been to many, a well known space that may have become with time nothing more than wood, cement and glass. People in regional and rural Australia are crying out for more artistic initiatives, as your project proved. More funding for regional and remote art projects!
Thank you, Sean for visiting the Old Birrego School and creating memories with us!
Love this video clip of Arthur with elderly Monnie. Manybe the amazing amount of panic grass? represents each day the school was open and where once,the children played
There was a lot of hairy panic….
It was indeed a real pleasure to attend the opening (and to slip back the next night and have the school room to myself). I think a mark of the quality of your work Mayu, and Vic and Sarah’s project, is the people who were there, a combination of local community members who had been touched by the process, local artists, and people from further afield. I agree with Sean about the need for more regional funding. This exhibition proves that being in a regional area does not decrease in the quality of work.
It was great to meet you Greg and enjoyed my time with you. Please let me know when you are performing or showing work. Perhaps I can come.
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