Running throughout June, Heart of Randwick’s Winter Wednesdays Art Series brought two major art events to Randwick. The curated art series was designed to bring a little wonder to the dark winter nights and create new mid-week culture & wellbeing opportunities for residents, students, workers and the wider Randwick community. Events took place every Wednesday in June and were programmed for Randwick by leading curators.
On Wednesday June 4th & 11th, acclaimed artist Claudia Nicholson premiered a new animated artwork for young audiences. Bringing the world of a children’s picture book to life, Oh. was screened outdoors at Inglis Park, right by the popular playground and Newmarket restaurant precinct. It was accompanied by a free drop-in watercolour workshop to paint animals inspired by Nicholson’s artwork. The young audience enjoyed the chance to meet the artist in person and hear firsthand how the work was made. The intergenerational event also saw many parents, grandparents and carers making their own artworks, as well as health workers from the nearby hospitals precinct, who stopped in to unwind as they came off shift.
Nicholson was selected for the Winter Wednesdays Art Series by respected curator Talia Linz, who was drawn to the Sydney artist’s ability to engage with different communities and places. For this new work, Nicholson led a workshop with a group of young students from the Sydney Children’s Hospital School, supported by the school’s Art Program and Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation. The colourful artworks made by the students appear in Oh. alongside Nicholson’s own watercolours and pencil sketches.
On Wednesday June 18th and 25th, the Winter Wednesdays Art Series presented Cinema Piece, a genre-defying performance by Deep Soulful Sweats that turned Ritz Cinemas into a live film set. Selected by curatorial agency Vital Commons, Cinema Piece considered how we might face the climate crisis together. The participatory experience involved props and costumes, and members of the audience were invited to read the script and act out the roles. The ad hoc film set created a performance without spectators where everybody played a vital role. The electrifying work drew an audience of UNSW students and local residents, and provided an antidote to apathy through humour, hope and collective action.
“The two extraordinary projects for Winter Wednesdays offered immersive and inspiring experiences for the public, because we know that creative participation is important for our wellbeing,” said Sophie Forbat, Head of Arts and Placemaking for Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct.
“Both projects enabled participation and also responded to topical themes and issues in the community. Claudia Nicholson’s animated artwork was a poignant reflection on connection and acceptance of difference, while Deep Soulful Sweats’ Cinema Piece responds to current conversations around community wellbeing and climate action.
“Placing these major projects in two of the community’s most loved venues, the historic Ritz Cinemas and Inglis Park, brought them right into people’s lives. It was exciting to see how these projects sparked new conversations and connections among locals and visitors alike.”
As the Winter Wednesdays Art Series concludes, Heart of Randwick is now readying to unveil a wayfinding project which will brighten some of the popular shortcuts through the hospitals precinct. The community project follows the installation of Rochelle Haley’s large-scale mural along Francis Martin Drive. Sign up to the newsletter at heartofrandwick.com for further news and updates.
Photo: Mark Bond
The outdoor screenings took place right by the Inglis Park Playground.