One of Pedestrian’s favourite topics of conversation at the moment is censorship – a issue that our readers share a passion for judging by comments we’ve recently received; so it seems fitting to talk about the 2010 Next Wave Festival that starts in Melbourne on Friday, 7 May.
The theme of the festival No Risk Too Great also poses the question: is our society too safe and our art not risky enough?
According the festival’s artistic director, Jeff Khan, the Next Wave Festival “encourages ambitious art projects that push against stagnation, open up new spaces and dare to take new risks.”
One of the fascinating concepts behind the festival is the exploration of “risk-averse culture” – how prepared are we to make decisions that are brave, courageous or transgressive? Where is the line between our own personal, moral and ethical worlds, and the codes and principles which circulate in the broader context of contemporary culture? What is our capacity to draw, hold or cross this line? What are the real risks of our time, what are the risks worth taking, and what is our role as individuals, and as artists, in relation to them? How can we act boldly and imaginatively, in art and in life?
The program of events covers dance, performance, visual arts, hybrid/new media, and a ‘special projects’ category under which falls The Sports Club Project (that mixes the traditionally unlikely combination of art and sport) and Beyond The Feelgood Factor which explores fear and violence in art.
EVENT DETAILS:
Opening: Friday May 7 from 6:00PM
Kings ARI, Level 1, 171 King Street, Melbourne
Duration: 6 to 8pm
Price: Free
Exhibition Times: Saturday 8 May – Saturday 29 May from 12:00PM
Kings ARI, Level 1, 171 King Street, Melbourne
Duration: 12 to 6pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
Price: Free
For more information visit the Next Wave Festival website.
Main image via The Last Tuesday Society
