Hall talk takes Gallery to another world

16 February 2017

Exhibition showcases If These Halls Could Talk multi-arts project

A new exhibition at Tweed Regional Gallery delves deeper into a celebration of town halls in the Northern Rivers and the stories they inspire.

The exhibition, Tumbulgum and the Countdown to Midnight at the First Supper Between Now and Forever, is on display at the Gallery from 17 February and draws from the research for a multi-arts project entitled If These Halls Could Talk.

The Arts Northern Rivers project celebrates halls and the role they play in communities. The Northern Rivers is a region of villages, most with a hall that lay at their heart. Some sit proud on hills, some are nestled on river banks, but all are places of stories and keepers of secrets.

Arts Northern Rivers invited people to nominate their local hall to be included in the project and more than 120 nominations were received. Tumbulgum Hall was one of just seven selected to have a renowned artist or creative team collaborate with the community to create a site-specific work inspired by the unique narrative of their hall.

International and locally renowned artists and creative teams worked together in an ambitious program of performance, installations and film, presented between 17 September and 17 December 2016.

The Tumbulgum collaboration led to the live performance Tumbulgum and the Countdown to Midnight at the First Supper Between Now and Forever at the hall last December. Opera Queensland was commissioned by Arts Northern Rivers to tell the tale of Tumbulgum Hall and it transformed the 102-year-old building into an other-worldly place. Working with a cast of local performers, they created a musical journey that took audiences into the next world and ‘into forever’.

Tumbulgum and the Countdown to Midnight at the First Supper Between Now and Forever is an exhibition of extraordinary photographic images of the performance and its cast, and is featured at Tweed Regional Gallery from 17 February to 21 May. Everyone is invited to attend an official opening by Opera Queensland Artistic Director Lindy Hume on Friday 3 March at 6pm for 6.30pm.

Public programs:

Artist Talk | If These Halls Could Talk Sunday 5 March 2017 at 11am (DST)

Arts Northern Rivers Executive Director Peter Wood and internationally renowned artist Craig Walsh will discuss the two-year multi-arts project that transformed seven halls across the Northern Rivers into an immersive site-specific work in response to the unique narrative of each hall and its community. The talk will be followed by a short Q&A.

Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir performance Sunday 2 April 2017 at 2pm (EST)

Visitors to the Gallery will be greeted in the foyer by the Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir performing original songs from Opera Queensland’s locally produced show Tumbulgum and the Countdown to Midnight at the First Supper Between Now and Forever.

Downloads

Photo 1(JPG, 188KB)

Caption: Darcy Grant Photographer, Jim Spark, Katie Rutledge, Maisy Taylor_Tumbulgum and the Countdown to Midnight etc_Tumbulgum Hall

Photo 2(JPG, 76KB)

Caption: Darcy Grant Photographer_Katie Rutledge as The Mother_Tumbulgum and the Countdown to Midnight ..etc_2016