Couch World
Couch World 2012 was a Festival that for four days of summer, a living art display popped up as an outdoor ‘living room’ at Signal. Featuring several couches transformed on-site by street, visual and installation artists inspired by young people and their thoughts on human rights. Couch World 2012 was an experience firsthand traditional street art, environmental art plus video and sound. The couches were created and evolved right before audience eyes over those four days, and were open places for public to sit and chat and even join in the couch evolution. Also, performances were set from couch to couch allowing the audience to experience a series of short, live art acts by performance artists where each couch was the stage. This event was part of Talk, Walk, Sit and Spray Out, Young Voices and Contemporary Art for Human Rights produced and presented by Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV).
From future technologies to contortion to plastic wrapping to a puppet that sleeps and the vision of MAV’s Contemporary Cultures stream, Couch World was a space for new art, new ways of engaging with audiences and for dialogue. The group of contemporary artists involved worked with young people taking their ideas and issues raised through MAV’s youth steering committee and used them as inspiration to inform and create the artwork and performance making. It was an innovative collaboration between contemporary artists and young people from Melbourne. Multicultural Arts Victoria’s Contemporary Cultures stream focused on the multiplicity of creative approaches and provided pathways for experimentation moving away from traditional practices and stepping into innovative or mixed approaches to cultural traditions and contemporary arts practice.
Produced and presented by Multicultural Arts Victoria Creative Team
Couch World Artists and Provocateurs: Samuel Rimene, Victor Holder, Tony Adams, Cake Industries, Michelle Hamer, Aleks Mothra, Mystic Trio, Kathleen Gonzales, Teame Ersie, Tariro Mavondo, Ruth Sancho Huerga, Gary Friedman, Demi Sorono, Low Rez Choir, James Henry, Paul Reade and !Thunderrclapp!
Creative Director: Claudia Escobar
Production Coordinator: Tania Canas
Production Volunteer: Dominic Wagner
Youth Coordinators: Emily Sweeney and Penne Thornton
Proudly supported by City of Melbourne, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, Arts Victoria, Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Centre Melbourne, Signal, Red Little Trucks, Green Hearts Recyclers, Bunnings Warehouse, The Office of Housing and Tenants Association.
Download: Couch World 2012 Media Release
