Here are some photos from my recent visit with Ren Walters at his Artist In Residence stay at the Museum of Innocence Mildura (MIM), and the THIS Ensemble tour through the Mallee that followed. Most of the artworks pictured are by Ren. With Juana Beltran, Carmen Chan, Michael McNab, Candice Boyd, and various extraordinary locals, drifters and vagabonds. Life without fear.
THIS Ensemble
Upcoming performances – November/December 2016
Four Things & More
Friday 4 November 2016, 8:30pm – Moreland City Band Hall, 16 Cross Street, Brunswick.
I am performing in a trio with Juana Beltran and Carmen Chan. WARNING – I may play guitar…
Also performing: Myfanwy Hunter/Juliana Espana Keller, Michael McNab, Derek McCormack.
Soundings – A Walk Through Extemporization
Sunday 13 November 2016, 3pm – 36 Moreland Street, Footscray.
I am performing solo acoustic turntable.
Also performing: Ernie Althoff, Sister, and Butler/Kaczmarek/Hilton.
Overhea[r]d
Friday 18 November 2016, 9pm – LongPlay, 318 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North.
I will perform a new work/experiment for acoustic turntable and live projection.
Also performing: Alice Hui-Sheng Chang [TWN] & Jessie Scott, Kota Yamauchi & Matsu [JPN].
Museum of Innocence Mildura guest residency
26-29 November 2016, Museum of Innocence, Mildura.
I’ve been invited to participate as a guest artist in Ren Walters’ Artist-In-Residence programme.
THIS Ensemble Rural Tour 2016
29 November – 6 December 2016. Mildura – Mallee – Wimmera.
CURRENT
Friday 16 December, 6pm – Moreland City Band Hall, 16 Cross St, Brunswick.
THIS Ensemble – this Friday
THIS Ensemble returns – Fri 5 Aug at Cross Street
Upcoming performances (June-August 2016)
Saturday 18 June 2016 – Waranga Film Festival, Rushworth
Performance of “If I Am A Musical Thinker” by Carmen Chan, Llara Goodall & Clinton Green + street improvisations.
Monday 25 July 2016, 7:30pm – La Musica, La Mama, 205 Faraday St, Carlton
Solo performance for multiple turntables and remote-activated percussion. Also performing is Michiko Morita.
Friday 29 July 2016, 8pm – Aeso Studio, 83 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
‘Friction’ – with Moe Chee (first performance for 2016, and last performance probably for a long time) + Jenny Barnes, Tim Catlin.
Friday 5 August 2016, 8pm – Cross Street, 16-22 Cross St, Brunswick
THIS Ensemble – first public performance for 2016.
THIS Ensemble Wimmera Tour videos
In late October/early November of 2015, THIS Ensemble toured the Wimmera region of North Western Victoria in a series of official and unofficial performances/actions.
Ren Walters has put together these videos of those times. They have the character of home movies in a way, but for me they convey something of the experience of that time, particularly our attempts to connect with the landscape, the place, and with each other.
THIS Ensemble – video from Cross Street, 31 July 2015
THIS Ensemble – video from Cross Street, 24 April 2015
THIS Ensemble Country Tour reflections
THIS Ensemble Country Tour, 28 October – 3 November 2015. Avoca – Minyip – Jeparit – Natimuk (Nati Frinj Festival) – Dimboola – Horsham.
The road
The horizon
Draught
The stars
The moon
The backyards
The picnics
The pubs
The railway tracks
The light
The abandoned servo
I was leaning against the building, playing it by bashing my elbows into it. I thought to myself ‘I’m probably going to hurt myself here’, but I felt fine afterwards.
The car dance/confrontation
The illnesses and the injuries
The lakes
The chips
The vegetarian option
The snoring
The smells
The coffee
The kid who said “that’s cool”
The trees
The cop
The soup
The giddy thrill of playing and hanging out with so many ridiculously talented people
The unexpected arrivals
The dancers who appeared out of nowhere
The bridges
The gong
My fingers were numb after holding the gong for a couple of hours. The feeling mostly came back the next day; but even now, over a week later, part of my index finger is still numb. Or is it calloused?
The beauty so intense I felt I had to look away…but didn’t
‘We are all going to die’
The jealousies
The fighting
The trying and failing, but trying anyway
Walking away and coming back
Compassion
Permission
The love
The rhythms
The hat
The advice
The bullshit
The wisdom
The quiet
The flies
Billy chai
The field
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
The bone
Commitments made
In the field, I pushed myself up from the ground and my elbow locked up like it was dislocated or something. Seems like I had hurt it the other day after all. 
The fire
The motion (is its own reward)
Horsham Roadhouse, 1:30am
Space is the place
The river
The dead rabbit
The temple
The birds
The salt
My feet broke through a damp part of the salt pan. Walking back across the lake, I noticed blood in the footprints I made (left foot). Two of my toes were cut; they must have been sliced by salt crystals when I fell through the surface. I bled all the way back across the lake.
The meal
The river dance
The mist
The table walk
The dice
The music
Chun-liang
Dur-e
Elnaz
Simon
Adrian
Reuben
Lisa
Tamsin
Tony
Jonathon
Michael
Ren
