Marry the Land is the result of co-devising workshops with the 4-5-6 students in Georgia Rolls’ class at Mountain Heights School over the course of one year as part of the Unconformity Youth Artist in Residency Program.
For the festival, Queenstown Memorial Hall was transformed into a creative play imaginarium where mineral and mining are a sacred affair and the power of shiny things was a vehicle for celebrating our shared diversity. Children, families and the young at heart were invited to play, participate, remember and dream in an art and land marriage of mythic proportions, to explore, caper through and question their material entanglement with the land, along with students of Mountain Heights School and members of the Queenstown community
The 2021 Festival Event was sadly cancelled at the last minute due to a Covid-19 lockdown and images of the install portray aspects of the Memorial Hall installation that are incomplete and of course, unpopulated. The install included important provocation, writing and design by Adam Thompson, A table displaying displaced Tasmanian Aboriginal stone tools, rock art by Rory Wray McCann and students, A Costuming and mask/wand station by Sabio and Sara, and a sacred clay play groundwork that would grow through the festival. Most images in this gallery are by Jesse Hunniford.
Mountain Heights School Artists / Co-devisers:
Georgia Rolls and 5-4-6 Students
Henry Watson and 9-10 Art Students
Alexander Bloem and Music Students
Artist Team: MHS Artist in Residence, Creative Co-Deviser and Coordinator, Film Concept — Sara Wright
Pakana Writer, Cultural Advisor and Educator — Adam Thompson
Mineral Artist, Prospector, Co-Deviser — Rory Wray-McCannArtist, Co-Devisor, Costume, Film Design, Post Production and Animation — Sabio DesignsProduction Manager — Finn Carter
Youth Artist in Residence — Jarrad White
Guest Appearance — Teri Young and the Queenie Quoir
Special thanks to Rory Wray McCann for volunteering rocks, art, knowledge, time and energy to MHS students, to Mark 'Doc' Doran for use of his lighting equipment, and to Terrapin for use of their projection screen.
Thanks to Principal Paul Harding and Business Manager Sandy Chilcott, Kirsty Ludbey, Chris Loch and Kitchen Program Students.
Marry The Land is supported through Arts Tasmania by the Minister for the Arts and WD Booth Charitable Trust.