Bushland taken to Brisbane and Melbourne

French & Mottershead, Bushland research image

Following a successful debut at the Bundanon Trust’s Siteworks Festival, we are taking Bushland to Brisbane as part of Metro Arts DeathFest 2.0 programme from 2-4 November, then to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne for Artshouse’s Mere Mortals season on 1-2 December 2018.

“This is a story of detailed decomposition of a body in the bush—it’s not ad hoc but full of anthropological, forensic and scientific precision.” – Art & Australia

Bushland is an adaptation of the original audio work Woodland, from our Afterlife series, which explores stories of the afterlife of the human body in different environments.

To experience Bushland you walk into the bush wearing headphones connected to a smartphone. The map on the screen guides you into a listening area, where you find a spot to lie down, gaze up towards the gum tree canopy, and listen to the audio recording that tells the story of your body’s decomposition.

The adaptation has been authored in collaboration with Australian forensic anthropologists and ecologists, has been recorded with voice actor Sarah Kants, and has involved working again with artist Alex Peckham to build an Android application that delivers the piece.

You can find details and book tickets for Brisbane here and for Melbourne here.

Tickets: $10
Dates: 2–4 November 2018, Brisbane / 1-2 December, Melbourne.
Duration: 50mins. Session times vary.
Venues: Ferryman’s Hut Teneriffe, Brisbane / Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne Gardens

Bushland is presented in partnership with The Bundanon Trust, Metro Arts, and Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and the City of Melbourne through Arts House.

Read Andrew’s blog article about adapting and learning as you go here.