Meet the Artists

Mary French

Mary is one of the ACT Natimuk team responsible for large scale events exploring light, shadow, aerial dance, puppetry and music, performed on iconic structures such as grain silos and poppet heads. Her love of light and shadow led her to study this medium in Germany and reinvent existing public structures as giant, story-telling lanterns. Mary also works across a range of mediums including puppetry, animation and moving images, often exploring the themes of environment and responses to place.

Installation 1: WALLPAPERS

A loosely chronological exploration of crops produced on the Bellarine Peninsula pre and post European settlement, depicted as a series of wallpapers. The final images indicate the growing understanding and appreciation of the importance of traditional foods such as murnong.

Installation 2: SHADOW PEOPLE

Shadowy people create an ephemeral suggestion of people who have moved through this space over time.


Barry James Gilson

Singer, Poet, Actor.

Barry specialises in bringing back the ancient words and language of his people the “Wathaurung”. Working strongly towards reinstating a lost culture that has survived genocide and colonisation. Great odds he has overcome to work towards leaving a legacy of hope and survival for future generations to follow.

The past he believes is the greatest strength he has, because without it… there is no future.


Dominic Black

Dominic Black is an avid listener – to people, and their stories. He’s a podcaster, writer, radio producer and oral historian whose work has featured on the BBC, National Public Radio in the USA, and on numerous independent outlets on radio and online.

He’s worked with, amongst others, The National Celtic Festival at Portarlington, Barwon Health, Resource Equity, Seattle University, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, KNKX Seattle (NPR), KUOW Seattle (NPR), The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Enviromedia, The Landesa Center for Women’s Land Rights and HistoryLink.org.


Gillian Turner

Gillian Turner Phd is an experienced and award winning artist. Her practice focuses on conceptual work including installations. She has had solo exhibitions in Geelong and Melbourne, and worked as an artist in residence in Australia and Ireland. Gillian is also an experienced educator and published writer

Un-Settled explores layers, uncertainties and the importance of story.

Installation 1: LANDSCAPE SCREEN

This work references the various narratives of the old flourmill, and the land surrounding it. Made with semi-transparent, lightweight cotton material, the screen’s surface movement continuously conceals and reveals words and textures.

Installation 2: ALWAYS WAS ALWAYS WILL BE

This text-based work explores the powerful and unending narrative of Country. The work remains incomplete, and visitors are invited to continue writing the words.

Installation 3: (Upper Floor)

Works in this area include found objects, suspended symbolic birds and plant structures that create shadows.  


Dr Jayne-Louise Collins

Jayne-Louise is an educator and researcher and brings a strong partnering lens to this project. She has worked closely with project leads and artists listening, observing and creating the conditions where they are able to make their best offer to this project, individually and collectively. She has been a constant presence in conversations, seeking connections across the different ideas as they came to life for individual artists and ultimately how they emerged as an multi- arts form in the space of the Portarlington Mill. Her willingness to constantly seek a variety of perspectives and encourage the unearthing of stories deeply intertwined across time has been an important contribution to this project – UnSettled.

Her work in this project is titled: a line within a circle. the work with wire and text confronts the presence of country and the mapping of land


Jenny M. Thomas - Bush Gothic

Musician, Composer (Lead in Bush Gothic)

Master of the rare art of singing and playing the fiddle at the same time, Jenny has rollerskated backwards whilst playing violin for Circus Oz, played a Norwegian Hardanger solo with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for the Lord of The Rings premiere plus given a solo concert series in Europe performing Indian classical violin. With a background in classical study and campfire singalongs her compositions have been heard on ABC Classic FM, Deutschland Radio Berlin, BBC 2 and been awarded 5 STARS by the BBC Music Magazine. 

This year has seen her awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award and appear as guest soloist with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chamber. As band leader of post-modern bush band Bush Gothic she has toured their radical re-imaginings of trad Australian folk songs across the world and been chosen by the 2020 Welsh National Eisteddfod to represent Australia and The National Celtic Festival.

Her mission? To change the way Australians listen to their own history


M.Smith

Melissa completed a Bachelor of Photography (1st class Hons) in 2018 through Deakin university while working in The Project Space as the Key Liaison and Technician. At this time she was a member of the ARI The Good Excuse Guild (2018 - 2020) and now a co-founder/director of The Hue and Cry Collective (est.2020). When not freelancing or working for the Geelong Arts Centre, she heads to her studio. Cross pollinating mediums; photography, projected mediums and materials, carefully eliminating unnecessary elements to focus on and illuminating simple, aesthetic and truthful compositions.

https://www.msmithphotography.net/

https://www.hueandcry.com.au/


Actors

Director: Jacqui Connor

Jacqui Connor is an actor, director, drama teacher, writer and performer. She has a broad history in performance which includes acting and directing for a range of theatre companies. This project allows Jacqui the opportunity for collaboration and exploration of the remarkable inhabitants of the Bellarine Peninsula, Miss Ann Drysdale and Miss Caroline Newcomb.

 

Actor: Paula Kontelj as Ann Drysdale

Paula Kontelj is an actor, presenter and radio broadcaster of 26 years standing. She has performed for several local theatre companies, recently appearing in My Brilliant Career for SOOT Theatre Company both in Geelong and at LaMama, Melbourne. Paula also performs in musical theatre. She is delighted to be part of this project.

Actor: Amber Connor as Caroline Newcomb

Amber Connor is an actor and director who grew up surrounded by theatre and started acting at a young age. She has played some wonderful characters for a range of Theatre Companies. Amber has directed a number of Australian plays including: Two Weeks with the Queen, Down came a Jumbuck and Cosi.

She relishes the chance to dissect the script, tease out the nuances of a role and to delve into the life of Caroline Newcomb.


Special thanks to everyone who was so generous in sharing their time and stories with us:

Don McDonald of Swan Bay

Lesley Whitcombe of Drysdale

Betty McDonald of Mannerim and Dunrobin, Swan Bay

Geoff Henderson of Scotchman's Road

Graeme Brown, 'a farmer from Bellarine,' Scotchman's Road

Marie Harcombe and Lawrie Beck of Founds Road, Drysdale

Graeme MacDonald of Mannerim, 'born and bred on the Bellarine Peninsula'

Barry J Gilson, Wadawurrung Man.

With special thanks to Janet McDonald

To our shadow artist - thankyou.


Caitlyn Harington and Marli the Pomeranian

Simone Hilchansky

Tim O'Hara

Mia Harrington

Jessica Brown