Hello, we have news. 9’6″ HIGH is now postponed due to the costs associated with obtaining building permits. These building upgrades will happen during 2015, but unfortunately not in time for our planned 2015 festival. We offer our thanks to everyone who involved themselves up until this point, and our apologies for having to push pause. Please signup to our mailing list to stay in touch.

Hello artist. Welcome.

This is the artist call for 9’6” HIGH.

Have you read the about page? We suggest it’s the best place to start.

Stay in touch as we grow, and visit our Pink William home in Balaclava to experience the space, attend open house events and meet other artists.

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9’6″ HIGH After Hours is an 18 hour live / art experiment starting at 9pm April 18 and concluding at 3pm on April 19 2015. Applications for artworks and a small number of residencies will open on 4 November, and close on 15 December 2014.

All artists accepted into the festival will be paid in tiers ranging from $100 to $2000 depending on production costs, artist fees and number of artists.

After Hours is the first iteration of 9’6” HIGH. It tells of an industrial street humming with activity during working hours, and left abandoned after hours. It requests a re-investigation of space, and implies a more holistic relationship with place.

Consider three poetic provocations…

The Awkward Self // Un-fitting or not fitting, assembly line. Standardised. Think difference, idiosyncrasy, square and round. Swiping social media lives. Private and public. The body in space and place, and as object and subject.

Unfit For Use // Industrial waste, disposable product, updated versions and outdated appliances. Discarded, broken and unused. Materials, objects and spaces. Re-cycled, re-used and re-purposed.

Playing with Industry // Interactions, absurd or otherwise between industry and art. Think human vs automaton, efficiency vs organic growth, function vs image. Play and art, productivity and outcomes.

And art forms like these…

Sound // live music, sound art, audio installation

Projection // cinema, new media art, light art

Screen // moving imagery, still photography, video work

Visual // interactive, installation, interventionist art

Live // performance, dance, theatrical experiences

Journey pieces or walks //

Writing // creative fiction and non-fiction, poetry, critical

Experimental and uncategorised //

Aesthetically, single or multi-sensorial art that is site specific or site-responsive, responding to the local context and space; spacial practices or works that reclaim public spaces (space maps to come soon). Interactive, immersive, participatory and actively engaging. Projects that challenge the conventional spectator and audience divide. Durational or time-responsive. We are looking at live-ness, ephemerality, permanence, transience and time-of-day-specific activity. Multi/cross/inter/post disciplinary works. Artworks and projects that do not slot easily into one or another traditional art form.

Residencies are an alternate option to proposing a creative artwork. Pink William is offering 3 residencies for artists interested in a 3 month creative development process before 9’6” HIGH. Artists-in-residence will have access to the Pink William space, curatorial and creative mentorship or assistance from the creative team, full technical support and a financial stipend to assist. The residency could include a placement in one of the local businesses, as an interactive relationship with the local and a provocation for the creative development of the work.

Some final thoughts, for now…

When we close our eyes and imagine Pink William and the journey to 9’6″ HIGH, we see spaces of creation, playfulness, integration and inspiration. We imagine talks, spoken word, jam sessions, workshops and co-creation. If you engage in social or cultural practices and have an idea for an activation of the Pink William space that could promote these sorts of interactions, write to us and share your thoughts.

Our home in Balaclava is best seen in the real. Though if you can’t make it here soon, it virtualises ok too. 9’6″ HIGH will take place indoors and outdoors at Pink William, and we envisage single performance during the festival in other spaces on William St. The interplay between the arts and industry excites. Our light industrial street, middled by residential Balaclava and caffeinated Carlisle Street. We hope to add a new layer to Balaclava’s identity, contribute to the community and support local art.

We recognise new media based exchange, and a fluidity of conversations and information-sharing that exist beyond physical place. We hope to facilitate and encourage cross-cultural dialogue and exchange by welcoming applications from international artists, regardless of physical location or proximity to Pink William. A balance that avoids hierarchy, while reflecting the demographics of Balaclava and the importance of our commitment to loving all that is local.