amy jane stephenson

In just over a month I fly back to the beautiful town of Tromsø in northern Norway to begin the creative development of Olsens Ballett Institutt.

Elin Danielsen (director of Hangen Til…) has formed a smashing group of artistic people to explore “the waiting room before death” aka a nursing home. Among the group are a; poet, electronic artist, video artist, musician, choreographer, costume & set designers and performers (of which I am one).

The project has received substantial funding support from the Norwegian Arts Council. After a five week creative development process, there will be a two week season as part of the Tromsø International Literature Festival.

It’s going to be a very special trip! I can’t wait to return to Norway and re-connect with all the wonderful people I was lucky enough to work and play with when I lived there for two years, and also to be a part of a cutting-edge new work which crosses all boundaries of culture and language.

Now I better go and practise my Norwegian…

I’m looking forward to heading down to Fitzroy on Friday 26th February to the exhibition opening which my Mum is a part of. It’s at the Brunswick Street Gallery and the exhibition runs from 26th Feb-11th March.

Linden has some beautiful, detailed prints from her MFA exhibition. Printmaking is such an incredible art which must take so much patience and skill. I love the earthiness of prints, they make me feel real & alive in a time when so much is digitised and hidden on a computer hard drive.

This year there are some especially great performances to check out in the festival. Each show reflects a contemporary edge which I am a huge advocate of. They re-work traditional texts to create original work, or don’t even use text, and cross boundaries to surprise the audience.

2 Dimensional Life of Her

La Petite Mort – The Orgasm

La Petite Mort – The Orgasm is a raunchy cabaret romp through sex and sexuality.

“A truly original, delightful, accomplished show, another of the shows that remind you why you love the Fringe so much.” The Scotsman.

Hamlet Apocalypse

A group of actors stage Hamlet the night the world ends. As the reality of the situation sets in, the play, the characters and the actors break down to the simplest of human states as they attempt to reconcile their lives in the face of a dying world.

I’ve crossed paths or worked with artists from each of these shows and have so much respect for the incredible art they’ve created. Keep going my friends.

Next week is an exhibition which I have been awaiting for a few years. I am filled with absolute intrigue and excitement about the final prints and installations of Linden’s Masters after the many fragmented ideas and brief descriptions she has shared during the process.

It’s on in Hobart  and I have a feeling this will not be one of those passive, echoey exhibitions where you’re afraid a single cough might interrupt the flat atmosphere. No I think she may have some surprises in there…

I’ll be there.

Did I mention she’s my mother?

In the arts industry it’s often difficult to get the rightful recognition and pay for ones work. Danielle Killick’s stunning and craftful new Six Women costumes are likely to gain her the recognition she deserves. One can’t ignore the pure creativity and time spent on these unique designs. Not to mention how lushfully soft and flexible they are (perfect attributes for performing in). I’m sure Danielle is set to continue on the path of designing beautiful costumes and clothing both in and out of the arts industry.

Click here to see Danielle’s Yellow Mule Collection.

I popped into the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art to have a look at their much-talked about current installation. The Water Hole is ‘an ecological fantasy-world’ created by Swiss artists Gerda Steiner and Jörg Lenzlinger.

It’s not one of those installations which you walk into a square room and make your way from left to right, no, this one takes you on a real journey. The breeze created by your walk sends shivers through the strange mixture of human objects entertwined with nature. Eclectic mobiles hang with just enough space for you to crawl beneath and watch the colours and textures sway.

This ‘extravagant, magical installation’ allows you to participate, observe, or observe those who are observing. For me, it commented on how we impose our consumerist culture into the environment. I wonder how many untouched water holes exist today?

When searching for a masquarade mask to wear to the Jester ball in Canberra, all I could find was generic, boring ones. So I popped into Spotlight and picked up some cheap post-spring carnival feathers and some glue.

I found the technique was all about layering lace with feathers and sequins.

Here is Miss Erica Field wearing one of our crafty masks on the night.

As always with the Fringe Festival there are some shows which are little gems. Isabel Hertaeg’s cabaret all about sex is a shiny red one. Her fusion of vocal skills and comic actions are supported by extensive research into the subject matter which varies from painful love scenarios to vibrators powered by steam engines.

La Petite Mort kept me smiling and blushing throughout the piece and is the perfect night out for some pure naughty entertainment. It’s on until the October 12th at the Northcote Town Hall for those of you in Melbourne. Or check out her website: http://www.myspace.com/lapetitemorttheorgasm