NEWS: 11 December 2007
"Alphabet City" ARTRAGE Festival 2007 is Over
It’s all over now. The ‘Alphabet City’ ARTRAGE Festival 2007 has packed up and left town like the circus. This year the five custom venues proved the city is alive and offered audiences cutting edge art placed in unique environments and a massive music program. Perth visitors responded to the global perspectives on street art with an enthusiasm mirroring the exciting developments in this area and many works have found West Australian homes. Likewise the Pop, Street, Pop Surrealism and Underground works of Outre Invasion were snapped up during opening night. SoCo Cargo injected a fresh vibracy into Perth’s nightlife with full houses, packed dance floors and great sounds.
We’d like to give deep thanks to all those who joined in and enjoyed the city, actively supporting our offering of international, national and local visuals and sounds, with a special thanks to the sponsors, artists, performers, event crew and volunteers who made it all happen.
There’s still lots to look forward to because ARTRAGE turns 25 in 2008 and we’ve got a year of silver specials lined up for you. Visit artrage.com.au to find out what’s in store and join the ARTRAGE email list to receive weekly info on our year round programs.
NEWS: 29 November 2007
TONIGHT: The Metaxis Experiment performs at Choc Martini’s First Birthday
Chocolate Martini celebrate their anniversary in style at The Bakery tonight. Attending are songstress Lorrae Coffin, who is also launching her CD on the night, Donna Atkins, Lily Gogos and DJ Jimbo.
While at Choc Martini, you’ll be able to catch Metaxis Experiment above the back-block container courtyard. Metaxis combines intense imagery and raw acrobatic skill with an original soundtrack. Strange and wonderful feats are achieved purely through human ingenuity, bone and sinew. Dysfunctional, fragmented, surreal, Metaxis delves into the emptiness that lies at the underbelly of ‘glitz and glamour’ circus.
Engage directly with the development of new contemporary aerial work tonight and Saturday 1 Dec.
Tonight also, Roberto's Argentinean BBQ Grill is serving up a delicious selection of authentic Argentinean BBQ including, brisket, chorizo & chicken.
Tickets: $15. Doors open 7:30pm.
NEWS: 27 November 2007
New Disorder’s Dystopia Well Received in The West
“Edgy, smart… remnants of a civilisation gone awry and art indulging in it all,” reviews Ric Spencer, visual art critic for The West Australian. New Disorder in The Ice Cream Factory, offers a dystopian vision and some smart warnings of where we’re headed as a society. Artists Aidan Broderick, Joshua Webb, Marcus Canning, Justin Smith, Rebecca Baumann and Ben Riding have infiltrated this dark cavernous space, each creating their own response to its dubious history. “Forget Huxley’s Brave New World, Orwell’s 1984 or Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, this is dystopia.” The West Australian, Friday November 23.
If you haven’t already got down to ‘Alphabet City’s’ five venues to experience the great street visuals and engage with pop culture through the exhibits, this week is your last chance.
All exhibitions open 6 pm - 10 pm, Wed - Sun and 2 pm - 5 pm Sat – Sun, Nov16 – Dec 1.
Exhibitions at The Bakery also open 12 pm - 5 pm, Wed - Fri and run from Nov 16 - Dec 8.
NEWS: 26 November 2007
Still Time to Catch Stencil Festival Action
There’s one more week of ‘Alphabet City’ left so now is the time to get down to The Toy Shop for graffiti docs, live sprays, the street art auction and hip hop presented by The Community.
Wednesday night, US documentary feature Infamy (2005) takes an intense journey into lives of six graffiti writers, Claw, Saber, Enem, Toomer, Earsnot and Jase, from NYC, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Arguably the best graffiti doc since Style Wars, Infamy by filmmaker Doug Pray (Hype! and Scratch) screened at RESFEST, Rotterdam.
Screening Wednesday 28 Nov 8 pm
Tickets $10
Live Sprays
Saturday 1 Dec
From 8 pm
Charity Auction for the Charity Link Christmas Appeal
Saturday 1st Dec 7 pm
NEWS: 22 November 2007
More International and Local Acts Announced for …XYZ Closing Party
With more fantastic acts joining us to celebrate the last night of ‘Alphabet City’, there is no excuse not to been seen on the block.
Frenchie Hip Hop lovely DJ KM3 - Deephop Panel and local DJ Travis, join Ninja Tune UK maestros Zero DB and Luke Vibert (Wagon Christ) at The Bakery.
Plus at SoCo Cargo, beautiful songstress Felicity Groom and six-piece rock outfit Will Stoker and The Embers join The Blue Jays and Institut Polaire. This is the last time to catch Institut Polaire in Perth as the band is off the Melbourne to produce their debut album.
The …XYZ ‘Alphabet City’ ARTRAGE Festival Closing Party offers four venues, four styles and four on the floor at any one time all for the nice price of $20.
Saturday 1st Dec
Tickets available through HEATSEEKER and on the door if not sold out.
NEWS: 21 November 2007
Christmas is Fast Approaching: We Want Your Boys Toys
As you know, ARTRAGE and Western Power Charity Link Christmas Appeal are collecting toys for kids who would otherwise miss out this Xmas. We’ve made a mini-car park that needs to be filled. During the festival, when you visit the Toy Shop, bring a new toy car, still packaged, and park it in this feel good installation.
Last year Charity Link distributed toys to 6,204 West Australian children and with an increase in the cost of living in Perth, Charity Link expects the number of requests for assistance to increase this Christmas.
With a shortage of donated presents for boys aged 8 – 16, visiting the Toy Shop is a way to view cutting edge street art within a global exhibition while ensuring that you put a smile on a little fella’s dial this Xmas.
NEWS: 15 November 2007
The Alphabet City ARTRAGE Festival Exhibitions
Opening Night Friday 16 November 6 pm
This Friday night twelve exhibitions kick off as one huge free opening party on the block surrounding the Bakery as part of the ‘Alphabet City’ ARTRAGE Festival 2007. Four venues consisting of two disused warehouses transformed to display local and global urban street perspectives and the best of local contemporary art; the Western Power Switch Yard decorated by projections and large-scale pop sculptural works; and the Breadbox Gallery at The Bakery featuring the best in Contemporary International Pop, Street, Pop Surrealism and Underground Art.
A. Start at the Bakery with Outre´ Invasion and the work of Mark Ryden, Shag, kozyndan, plus more.
B. Add Relocated: a Keith and Lottie Retrospective with artists Abdul Abdullah, Yok and Patrick Doherty to the Breadbox Gallery mix.
C. Then make your way around the ABC block by following Typo, large-scale paste ups, projections and stencils over the walls and skies of Alphabet City.
D. Pass by light shows over the Switch Yard to arrive at the Toy Shop.
E. Park a new toy car for the Western Power Charity Link Christmas Appeal in our custom made carpark or pay the toll booth to put a smile on a little fella’s dial.
F. Enter for street and stencil art, illustration and design from around Oz and as far afield as Brazil, Hong Kong and Norway.
G. Next take on The Ice-cream Factory. Once the Red Parrot and then the Berlin Night Club, the venue now hosts the self-perpetuating post-apocalyptic party that is seven artists’ response to the history and void of this space.
In late breaking news, prized local artistic talent Rebecca Baumann, Aiden Broderick, Marcus Canning, Bennett Miller, Ben Riding and Josh Webb are now joined by renowned ex-pat fashion photographer Justin Smith for the New Dis-Order Exhibition in The Ice-cream Factory.
All exhibitions open 6 pm - 10 pm, Wed - Sun and 2 pm - 5 pm Sat – Sun, Nov16 – Dec 1.
Exhibitions at The Bakery also open 12 pm - 5 pm, Wed - Fri and run from Nov 16 - Dec 8.
NEWS: 5 November 2007
“REPULSIVE AND UNACCEPTABLE”
says Barbara Scott, Shadow arts minister.
The Raw Cooking Show performing over three nights at The Bakery during the ‘Alphabet City’ ARTRAGE Festival 2007 has generated a page six news article in The West Australian, radio interviews on both Nova 93.7 and ABC Local and a Channel 7 News interview all in just one day.
The show is a live performance involving TV style cooking demonstrations with the added ingredients of nudity and human blood. Naked performance artist Chris Floyd will prepare a selection of dishes, while Greg Burley will be making blood sausages with his own blood drawn during the show.
“Despite the fact that ARTRAGE is known for innovative and controversial theatre, it goes beyond the boundaries of acceptability with the use of human blood going into food,” said Shadow arts minister Barbara Scott.
The Raw Cooking Show received $11,821 from the State Government through ArtsWA and has been attacked as an inappropriate use of public funds.
ARTRAGE has received calls from those wanting to make comment. One email to The West Editor stated, “Outrageous! Has society fallen so far that now we are invited to pay to eat human blood?” yet on The West's blood-for-dinner blog it was asked, “Who is to decide what is offensive, the nudes of the renaissance?”
Why not add you voice to this debate? Write a letter to the Editor of The West, email or blog. There are multiple avenues for you to express your opinion and we encourage it. The West article can be read at:
www.thewest.com.au
The Raw Cooking Show
The Bakery ARTRAGE Complex
Season: Thurs 15 - Sat 17 November
Doors open 7 pm
Tickets: $10 + bf available through
www.heatseeker.com.au and on the door