ART ATTACK launches Zombie Film
History of the Art Attack project
In mid 2018 after receiving funding through Creative Victoria, regional theatre company Asking for Trouble consulted with a number of local young people to define the kind of creative projects they were interested in, and the project Art Attack was born. Each young participant was paid an honorarium (which increased the number of expected participants) and the brainstorm process allowed the young people to give honest feedback and guidance on how the local arts scene looked to them: what was working, what wasn’t, what they would like to see change and how the company could best communicate with them in an ongoing capacity. The consultations gave Asking for Trouble the opportunity to build an in depth understanding of the situation and experiences of a diverse range of young people living in and around Clunes.
Identifying issues which were raised, alongside receiving feedback from the young people around the proposed artists/artforms enabled Asking for Trouble to create a flexible and responsive model which allowed for regular connection points as well as room within the budget for the company to take opportunities as they presented themselves. This co-designed structure has resulted in a record number of young people in Clunes engaging with a diverse range of arts and cultural activities.
Through the evaluation process the feedback from young people has been clear and direct, and Asking for Trouble have found that there have been positive impacts on participants’ overall physical and mental health. They have built connections with other young people and there has been the unexpected benefit that they have been able to access further services, such as support to enter the workforce and address other barriers to participation in community life. They also feel more welcome in their community.
The zombie film, launched online in time for Halloween 2019, as a celebration of the power of collaboration, art and community, is however, only a small part of the overall project. There are currently plans in place for a larger public outcome of the Art Attack project in mid 2020. Nonetheless, the fact that this film has been created has demonstrated to Asking for Trouble how much can be done by employing a flexible model where there is a strong culture of communication, respect and trust and where young people have a sense of agency and power.
Brainstorm + Communication + Trust = Successful Flexible Model
The Art Attack zombie film developed organically as a response to a series of requests within that initial brainstorm with participants.
Film/not just a workshop: the young people expressed a desire to “not just do workshops for the sake of it”. They wanted to create something larger, a number also expressed interest in film, particularly as some young people had been involved in filming in Clunes over the years either as extras or just watching the process from a distance. Asking for Trouble has often collaborated with Chris Bennett including projects in Clunes so he was already familiar to many of the participants. The creation of the film also enabled Asking for Trouble to bring youth from different social groups together to create an exciting work without the pressure of a live Performance outcome requiring weeks of rehearsals.
Dance: a number of young people were interested in dancing, particularly as there is no local dance school in Clunes. Asking for Trouble brought dancer and choreographer Joh Fairley up as a guest artist to develop a choreography to one of the young people’s favourite songs Billie Eilish’s Bury A Friend for a Saturday Project event earlier this year in May.
SFX makeup/horror: Elly Wilson, a local young woman had expressed interest in building her skills in makeup generally. Asking for Trouble were then able to respond to an opportunity that emerged where the local farmers market was looking for a facepainter. The company employed Melbourne-based artist Ciara Thorburn to come to Clunes and run a basic professional development session where young people (who had expressed interest) could learn some basic designs and then delivered the facepainting session at the market with support from Ciara. For the film, Elly particularly wanted to learn SFX makeup, so rather than inviting a guest SFX makeup artist, Elly researched various techniques online, the Art Attack project provided her with the materials she needed, and she then led the group in the makeup application for the film.
Circus: Around 45 young people (12-25) have now participated in Asking for Trouble’s ongoing circus training project . This film was an opportunity for them to showcase a few of their skills and gave the participants an opportunity to explore circus as an artform as opposed to simply training skills.
Christy Flaws, one half of parent company Asking for Trouble, and Art Attack’s director, has been working with young people in Clunes to define the kinds of creative projects they are interested in over the past year. Despite being told that it would be ‘impossible’ to get teenagers attending activities outside of school and sport, the Art Attack project has succeeded in engaging with around sixty 12-25 year olds across a range of artforms and currently offers ongoing Circus training as well as The Saturday Project - a monthly event co-designed with young people to include a program of participatory workshops, performances, food and activities. Asking for Trouble have found that by listening to young people they have been able to deliver a program that both they, and their young collaborators feel passionate about.
Participant performing acrobatics during filming
This program has been funded through Creative Victoria’s Social Impact grants.