Melbourne-based sonic arts preproduction house JOLT Arts presents Copy That, Copy Cat - JOLT Sonic Festival 2019. Leading auditory artists and musicians will dial up the sonic boom you have been dreaming of across one weekend in September at Footscray Community Arts Centre. JOLT Arts bring together aurally arresting artists from all around the country to present this three-day festival which marks a moment in the creative calendar that is for, by and with sonic adventurers: devoted artists who take risks with sounds.
Having achieved success with JOLT Festivals in Asia and Europe in recent years, JOLT Arts is excited to announce the all Australian lineup, featuring artists such as Thembi Soddell, Elision, Emily Bennet and Cat Hope in her duo Super Aluminium with Lisa MacKinney.
This year's festival is curated by Strange James, The BOLT Ensemble and The Amplified Elephants - all in-house members of the JOLT Arts community. Leading the collective, Artistic Director James Hullick’s identity as an artist has been shifting from leading cutting-edge composer to all out icon. In 2017, came the birth of Strange James who has been described as channelling Bowie and Hendrix. James’ creativity seems boundless, manifesting sound worlds from inventive machines, electronics, orchestral/ rock instrumentals, found objects, voice, sonic ensembles and the uncanny merging of these things.
The BOLT Ensemble was formed in 2004, after which they toured their new audacious works internationally, often working with cutting-edge technology and demonstrating a commitment to community development projects. The BOLT line-up of musicians changes from project to project — able to expand to a full orchestra. In recent years BOLT has toured with JOLT to Switzerland (2011), Japan (2012/2014) and the UK (2014) and has premiered several new works at various festivals in Australia.
Other curators, The Amplified Elephants came from the Footscray Community Arts Centre who are spectacular sound artists with intellectual disabilities that have been a part of the program since 2006. Since 2007, they have been increasingly ambitious in scale, often featuring sonic technology, under the mentorship of James Hullick. Hullick says of the choice to place the curatorial reigns in the hands of people with disabilities is relatively unheard of currently in Australia, "having such a diversity of gatekeepers at JOLT ensures a diversity of talent is presented. Sound art is a global language and different people from different backgrounds colour it in mind opening and exciting ways".
In selecting this unique line up, curators focused on a few points namely that originality and innovation begins with lived experience. This line up celebrates the uniqueness and innovation of our local communities, and blends these local artists with well-known sonic art and art music acts. The name of this years festival, Copy That, Copy Cat, pays homage to this concept in a bit of a tongue-in-cheek way: these musicians are so unique and so good at what they do that you can't easily copy them.
Alongside the curators, all of the artists in this years carefully selected lineup are set to push the boundaries of sound and art to deliver an exciting and stimulating event like no other in the country.
LINEUP Alessio Dilettoso with Alon Ilsar Art Day South + Dale Gorfinkel Bolt Ensemble Brian McNamara Carmen Chan Shoenborn Cissi Danniel Munnery + Mary Doumany Elision Emily Bennett Ester Tuddenham Impermanence Justine Anderson Naima Fine Fine Nick Wilson Patrick Francis Family Phillhelenes Rod Cooper Sonic Adventurers Strange James Super Luminum (Cat Hope + Lisa MacKinney) The Amplified Elephants Thembi Soddell + Miranda Hill + Karen Heath Timothy Franklin Uncle Larry Zoltan Fesco
Event: Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd September - Footscray Community Arts Centre, Melbourne VIC Tickets and Program: here
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