ArtsLab is Shopfront Arts Co-op’s annual artist residency program, a six-month laboratory that offers free space, resources, networking opportunities and professional mentorship to pursue a creative project. The residency culminates in a festival-style season to present your work to the public. This residency isn't just about creating work; it is about learning what it takes to have a sustainable career in the arts.  

This year, ArtsLab will be bringing together theatre, performance, film, music, spoken-word poetry and visual arts as part of an extended two-week season. 

What is ArtsLab: Have we been here before?

ArtsLab 2022 will be a two-week immersive festival of works from 8 emerging artists, exploring film, visual art, theatre, performance, poetry and soundscapes. After the last two years, experiencing a collective loss, this year's artistic cohort will explore individual responses to big issues – connection to gender, connection to culture and identity, experiences of the day-to-day, questions for our nation's leaders and questions of death.  In a time when we have experienced so much uncertainty now is the time to answer the big questions and be certain in our responses.

Our ArtsLab Works

The eight new works that will premiere from February 9 - 20 are:

• Of Stars and Streetlights: A spoken-word poetry story of the self written and performed by Albert Lin, exploring nature, suburbia and the mundane beauty that surrounds us. 

• The Place Before the Place: The Place Before the Place tells the story of a woman who, after an accident, comes face to face with her own subconscious, somewhere between life and death. Written in collaboration with the cast and directed by Kobi Taylor-Forder.

• Locomotion: A soundscape composed by Frank Dwyer, focused on what happens on the journey between Redfern and Carlton train stations. The sounds of the local suburbs, commuters, and the mechanical hums and hisses of train carriages and stations are woven together into a work that immerses the listener in their journey.

• Fearless Identities: a series of visual art works that challenges stereotypes by presenting the unique life experience of migrants living in Australia 

• Paris Nights : A stage adaption of D M Crawford’s semi-autobiographical Paris Nights, this one-person show written and performed by Tom Crotty chronicles a story of love amidst sex, drugs and clubbing on Oxford St in the mid 80s.

• Pack Rat: Conceived by Robbie Wardhaugh in collaboration with a group of collectors, Pack Rat is a two-channel video work exploring encounters with gender, and the exploration of euphoria.

• माँ की रसोई (Maa Ki Rasoi - My Mother’s Kitchen): A theatre piece that employs domesticity as it is systemically in place within South Asian cultures, devised, written and directed by Pratha Nagpal.

• Everything Working As Intended, Dad: A political theatre piece exploring whistleblowers and the secret bugging operation Australia carried out in Timor-Leste, written and directed by Sophie Florence Ward.

The eight young and emerging artists you may have seen here before are: 

• Kobi Taylor-Forder is a Sydney based actor and theatre maker. 

• Tom Crotty is an emerging artist with an interest in exploring the absurdities of this trick we call life. 

• Frank Dwyer is an emerging composer based in Sydney, Australia.

• Robbie Wardhaugh is a genderqueer artist working on unceded Gadigal land. 

• Sophie Florence Ward is a theatre-maker and performer with a practice grounded in the exploration of Australian political issues.

• Albert Lin is a spoken-word poet, musician, general jack-of-all-trades, and person with a day job.

• Pratha Nagpal is an emerging director and writer working on unceded Dharawal land.

• Sylvia, Zixin is an emerging visual artist based in Sydney. She was born and raised in China and came to Australia by herself when she was 16. 

How will the funds be used?

The money raised from this Pozible campaign will be used to cover the many costs that come along with presenting a festival comprising visual arts, video installations, installation works and live performances! This year ArtsLab will feature eight artistic works presented over a two-week season at 107 Projects, Redfern in February 2022. Our Pozible campaign ensures that Shopfront Arts Co-op doesn’t absorb the costs of these eight residencies and productions

The rundown of our funding goals are: 

Primary Goal: $4,000 

Our first goal allows us to cover the fee for our brilliant and beautiful production manager, who will creatively and technically support us in executing our works and coordinate the smooth running of the ArtsLab 2022 two-week long festival season.

Stretch Goal: $5,500 

With an extra $1,000 we will be able to pay for a lighting designer to work across all eight works, and make them look amazing on stage and upon the gallery walls. Another $500 will then cover the costs of technical support of rigging, so that our production manager’s back doesn’t break from all that hard work!

The ‘We Haven’t Been Here Before’ goal: $7,000

With your generosity, a further $1,500 will go towards all our materials – video equipment, art supplies and frames, set, props, design, and additional technical gear. That’s less than $200 per artist! These are the things that will allow us to showcase our work at a professional level.

If we don’t reach these goals, the expense of a Production Manager, the production materials and equipment will fall upon Shopfront. Running at a loss may compromise their ability to continue to ArtsLab in the future.

Why support ArtsLab?

In a perfect world, the arts would be properly funded by the government and we wouldn't be asking you to donate. But, unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world and in times of crisis, we are made to realise that the arts industry, artists and artist visions of our community need help. 

With your donations, not only will you be pre-purchasing your tickets to ArtsLab 2022, you will also ensure that there is a show to see! Alternatively, if rewards aren't your thing, you are welcome to simply make a tax-deductible donation of $2 or more!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!