An archive is like a map – in that it allows us to see the full landscape and our place within it.

ARCHIVING THE EPHEMERAL brings together for the first time, completed bodies of work spanning 10 years of practice, by performance artist Leisa Shelton.

Five major works, Archive, Mapping, Scribe, addendum; and Performing the Archive are presented as a major installation, live performances, and a range of opportunities for audiences to be part of the LIVING ARCHIVE.

Each of the five works focuses on the need for greater visibility, recognition and honouring of hundreds of Australian experimental artists, through the voices of the audience.

Archiving the Ephemeral also includes a new work,  Performing the Archive with renowned contemporary artists, Jill Orr and STELARC. These highly regarded artists will share pivotal moments from their careers in a series of private, one-on-one conversations, with audiences selected through a ballot process.

The full collection provides an environment to reflect on the value and role of artists within our society, and the potential to create dialogue and action for the future.

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, the City of Yarra and Abbotsford Convent.

Live event program

About

LEISA SHELTON is a performance artist, teacher + curator with a practice that foregrounds collaboration and an advocacy for new Australian trans-disciplinary work. Current work, whether teaching, curating, enabling remains focused on questions of contemporary identity and processes for valuing the role of artists within society.

JILL ORR  is a contemporary artist whose work centres on the psycho- social and environmental where she draws on land and identities as they are shaped in, on and with the environment be it country or urban locales. Orr grapples with the balance and discord that exists at the heart of relations between the human spirit, art and nature. Orr is a performance artist crossing between performances for live audiences and performances for the camera. She has produced iconic images reflecting an Australian perspective.

STELARC is a performance artist who has visually probed and acoustically amplified his body. He has made three films of the inside of his body. Between 1976-1988 he completed 26 body suspension performances with hooks into the skin. He has used medical instruments, prosthetics, robotics, virtual reality systems, the Internet and biotechnology to engineer intimate and involuntary interfaces with the body. He explores Alternate Anatomical Architectures with augmented and extended body constructs.

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Accessibility

Magdalen Laundry is universally accessible. Gender-neutral and accessible toilets are available within the venue. If you have specific access requirements, please contact our Programming team.

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