Studio drop-in - Self-guided life/still-life drawing
Saturday, 26 October, 2:00-4:00 PM
Saturday, 16 November, 2:00-4:00 PM
Saturday, 14 December, 2:00-4:00 PM 
Multiple dates - 10 guests per session 
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country correspondences 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC
Presented as part of Ravi Avasti's Summa

On Saturday, October 26, November 16 and December 14, audiences are invited to grab a chair and join us for self-guided life/still-life drawing and a chat. We'll be drawing on A5-sized pieces of archival paper, mostly using pen and pencil. But if you have preferred mediums you'd like to bring along, you're welcome to do so. 

To reserve your attendance, please book via the button ('Join the guest list'). Bookings help us plan.

Attendance is free. Donations of $5 are gratefully received. These funds help us cover the cost of running and supplying materials for community making. You can also select a ticket with a refreshment to support our work. If we are at capacity when you arrive (10), you're welcome to explore the exhibit while you wait.

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Additional notes:
—Drawing is freestyle and self-guided, but our team is around to answer any questions.
—Please select a ticket with or without a drink as you prefer best. 
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence our work and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.

Credit: Pictured are our guests enjoying community drawing during Part 1 of Ravi Avasti/Summa. Also pictured is an installation view of Ravi Avasti's 'Human Acts' 2024 at Stockroom Kyneton. Photograph: Lu Foster

Monthly Art Walk — Visiting Gertrude Studios 2024 at Gertrude 

Join us for our November Art Walk, when we will visit Gertrude to experience Gertrude Studios 2024. 

Plan/meeting location:

—Start Gertrude's entry @ 10:55 am for 11:00 AM entry.
—End Gertude at @ 12:00 /12:30 PM
Note: The gallery at correspondences will reopen after lunch at 1:00 PM. 

Credit: Guests attending a 2023 Art Walk to see Slippery Images at NGV, featuring artworks by Ali McCann.

Press the ‘JOIN THE GUEST LIST’ button below to RSVP.

Attendance is free. Bookings are essential so that we know who to look out for on the day!

Ngarrga (dance) workshop with Djirri Djirri
Saturday, 19 October, 2:30-3:30 PM
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC

Join members of Djirri Djirri as they teach a ngarrga (dance) workshop and Wurundjeri creation stories.

Watch the dancers perform songs and dance on country before trying it out yourself. This adult workshop is suitable for everyone; no dance experience is necessary, just good listening skills.

Attendance is free. But capacity is limited as our space is intimate. Bookings are essential. To book your attendance, please book via the button ('Join the guest list').

About Djirri Djirri

Djirri Djirri are the only Wurundjeri female dance group, and are Traditional Custodians of Narrm (Melbourne) and surrounds. Djirri Djirri means Willy Wagtail in Woiwurrung, their Mother Tongue. The Willy Wagtail is the Spirit’s Messenger and gave us dance! Djirri Djirri dances honour their Liwik (Ancestors), Kerr-up-non (Family), Biik (Country) and animals. Djirri Djirri are all connected by blood through one woman, Borate, Berak’s (William Barak’s) sister. They ngarrga (dance) and yinga (sing) together as bininang (cousins), babi (nieces), girrin (aunties), baban (mothers), manggip(daughters), liwurruk (sisters) and bubup (babies). 

Image credit:
Djirri Djirri Wurundjeri Women’s dance group

Acknowledgement 
We respectfully acknowledge the Sovereign Custodians of the land and waters upon which we live and work, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation.  We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend this respect to all First Peoples. Thank you, Djirri Djirri members, for teaching us. 

Monthly Art Walk — Visit Wurrdha Marra at the National Gallery of Victoria, Fed Square

Friday, 4 October, 10:00-11:00 AM
NGV Australia (NGVA), Fed Square Ground Level, First Nations Art
Federation Square, Flinders St &, Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Join us for our October Art Walk, when we will visit NGV to experience Wurrdha Marra. 

Plan/meeting location:

—Start NGVA entry @ 9:55 am for 10:00 AM entry.
—End NGVA at @ 11:00 AM.
Note: The gallery at correspondences will reopen after lunch at 1:00 PM. 

Credit: Guests attending a 2023 Art Walk to see Slippery Images at NGV, featuring artworks by Ali McCann.

Press the ‘JOIN THE GUEST LIST’ button below to RSVP.

Attendance is free. Bookings are essential so that we know who to look out for on the day!

Opening Ravi Avasti / Summa
Friday, 27 September, 6:30-8:30 PM
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC

Together with Ravi, we invite you to join us for the opening of Summa.

Come explore and celebrate this special milestone exhibition with us.

To reserve your attendance, please book via the button ('Join the guest list').  Attendance is free. Bookings are essential to help us plan. 

Image credits:
Ravi Avasti, Cherry Exposure #BG-2, 2023, cherry timber, 49.0 x 79.0cm x 4.0 cm. © Ravi Avasti

Closing celebration / Return to Social
Friday, 16 August, 6:30-8:30 PM
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC

Together with Ali, we warmly invite you to our ‘social’ celebrating the project's closing weekend.

View the final exhibition and join us for a drink from 6:30 pm. From 7:00-7:30 PM, Ali will join correspondences’ Emma Thomson for a short introduction to the new works in the room and reflections on the project.

Credit: Ali McCann, SOCIAL 2022, performance, still © Ali McCann Photograph: Annika Kafcaloudis

Press the ‘JOIN THE GUEST LIST’ button below to RSVP.

Attendance is free. Bookings are essential.

Open late — Ali McCann/Return to SOCIAL & Multilingual Poetry Reading/Listening Circle
Friday, 26 July, 6:30-8:00 PM
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC

We invite you to explore Return to SOCIAL and join our Multilingual Poetry Reading/Listening Circle.

From 6:30 to 7:00 p.m., we’ll explore the exhibit. Then, we’ll settle down to read or listen to poetry together.

Please bring a poem to share/read in whatever language you like. Or, just come to listen. We’ll be sharing some poems by our favourite astronomer/poet, Rebecca Elson.

Credit: Ali McCann, Foyer (After Maar and Matter) 2022, archival pigment print, 70.0 x 47.0 cm image/sheet © Ali McCann

Press the ‘JOIN THE GUEST LIST’ button below to RSVP.

Attendance is free. Bookings are essential.

Monthly Art Walk — Visit Candice Lin: The Sex Life of Stone at Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA)
Friday, 26 July, 10:00-11:00 AM
MUMA Ground Floor, Building F Monash University Caulfield Campus
900 Dandenong Road Caulfield East VIC

Join us for our July Art Walk, when we will visit MUMA to see Candice Lin: The Sex Life of Stone.

Plan/meeting location:
—Start MUMA entry @ 9:55 am for 10:00 AM entry.
—End MUMA at @ 11:00 AM.

Credit: Guests attending a 2023 Art Walk to see Slippery Images at NGV, featuring artworks by Ali McCann.

Press the ‘JOIN THE GUEST LIST’ button below to RSVP.

Attendance is free. Bookings are essential.

Open studio drop-in - Freestyle making
Saturday, 6 July, 2:00-4:00 PM
Saturday, 13 July, 2:00-4:00 PM
Multiple entry times - 10 guests every 60 minutes until completion.  
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC
Presented as part of the retrospective exhibition, correspondences. 

On Saturday, July 6 and 13, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., audiences are invited to a studio drop-in for freestyle making in the gallery space, focusing on drawing and collage practice.

To reserve your attendance, please book via the button ('Join the guest list').

Places are limited to 10 guests every 60 minutes until completion. If we are not busy, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like. Otherwise, we invite you to join us for an hour. 

Participation is $10 to help us cover materials and labour costs. You can also select a ticket with a drink included if you wish. Bookings are essential to help us plan. Registrations close the day before each event.

Location: correspondences 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick), VIC, 3056.

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Additional notes:
—Drawing and collaging is freestyle and self-guided, but our team is around to answer any questions.
—Please select a ticket with our without a drink as you prefer best. 
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence our work and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.

Credit: Pictured are our guests enjoying community drawing as part of our 2023 Resonate project and our 2024 project, Harmonious Eccentricity. 

Open studio drop-in - Freestyle making
Saturday, 6 July, 2:00-4:00 PM
Saturday, 13 July, 2:00-4:00 PM
Multiple entry times - 10 guests every 60 minutes until completion.  
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC
Presented as part of the retrospective exhibition, correspondences. 

On Saturday, July 6 and 13, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., audiences are invited to a studio drop-in for freestyle making in the gallery space, focusing on drawing and collage practice.

To reserve your attendance, please book via the button ('Join the guest list').

Places are limited to 10 guests every 60 minutes until completion. If we are not busy, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like. Otherwise, we invite you to join us for an hour. 

Participation is $10 to help us cover materials and labour costs. You can also select a ticket with a drink included if you wish. Bookings are essential to help us plan. Registrations close the day before each event.

Location: correspondences 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick), VIC, 3056.

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Additional notes:
—Drawing and collaging is freestyle and self-guided, but our team is around to answer any questions.
—Please select a ticket with our without a drink as you prefer best. 
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence our work and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.

Credit: Pictured are our guests enjoying community drawing as part of our 2023 Resonate project and our 2024 project, Harmonious Eccentricity. 

Live installation by Yoko Ozawa
Saturday, 6 July, 10:00 AM -12:00 PM approx.
Multiple entry times - 10 guests every 30 minutes until completion. 
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC
Presented as part of the retrospective exhibition, correspondences.

On Saturday, 6 July, from 10:00 am, we are thrilled to have artist Yoko Ozawa returning to make a new installation of her work, 吹き溜まり Fukidamari — a bank of falling leaves, 2023.

You’re welcome to join us in the space and enjoy a tea or coffee while Yoko quietly works - or after she completes the installation.

Please book via the button below to reserve your attendance. Places will be limited to 10 people every 30 minutes until completion. If we’re not busy, you’re welcome to linger.

Attendance is free, but bookings are essential to help us plan. Please pre-order coffee/tea to minimise disruption during the making. Registrations will close on 5 July.

Image credits: 
1) Yoko Ozawa installing Bulleke-bek garden reflection 2023, installation (detail), ceramic vases, kiln bricks, plants, stones & water size varies © Yoko Ozawa Photograph: Annika Kafcaloudis
2) Yoko Ozawa, 吹き溜まりFukidamari — a bank of falling leaves 2023, installation (detail), kiln bricks, ceramic vessels size varies © Yoko Ozawa Photograph: Annika Kafcaloudis

Opening —correspondences / Retrospective
Exhibition dates: 4-18 July 2024
Friday, 5 July, 6:30-8:30 PM
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC

Together with exhibiting alums, we invite you to join us for the opening of correspondences, a retrospective exhibition of sound and visual works featured as part of the past two years of residency programming featuring alums Edwina Stevens, Ali McCann, Yoko Ozawa, Genevieve Fry, Ruby Brown, Jessye Wdowin-McGregor, Ouyang Yu, Elyss McCleary, Emma Ovenden, Aarti Jadu, Inbal Nissim and Javad Kashani.

Come explore and celebrate this special milestone exhibition with us.

To reserve your attendance, please book via the button ('Join the guest list'). 

Attendance is free. Bookings are essential to help us plan.

Image credits:
Elyss McCleary, A sound shimmers on your face through windows 2024, oil on linen, 92.0 x 82.0 cm © Elyss McCleary. Photograph by Emily Weaving

Together with resident artists Aarti Jadu, Inbal Nissim and Javad Kashani, we warmly invite you to the closing celebration for سخن دل Sokhaneh del –language/speech of the heart featuring Acts of Devotion, a live durational performance by dance artist Janette Hoe commissioned in connection with part three of the residency project.

Acts of Devotion extends سخن دل Sokhaneh del’s examination of 'devotion' or, more rightly, samimiyat صمیمیت, into the realm of dance.

To find out more, please read the précis provided below. 

View the exhibition and join us for a drink in the rear courtyard from 5:30 p.m. The performance will commence promptly at 6:00 p.m. and will run for 2 hours. Twenty guests will be admitted to and invited to depart from the exhibition space every 30 minutes—please select a timed ticket of your choice. After the performance, please join us in exploring the exhibition until 8:30 p.m. 

Press 'Join the guest list to join'.

—Date/Time: Sunday, 2 June 2024, 5:30-8:30 pm, performance 6:00-8:00 pm. Doors close at 8:30 pm.
—Access: Access from 5:30-8:00 pm is ticketed. Event entry via the rear right-of-way, via Black Street (which runs parallel to Sydney Road). Our ushers will direct you. After the performance, we welcome you to view the exhibition until 8:30 pm.
Please select a timed ticket of your choice. If you wish to return for the final 30 minutes, please choose the relevant ticket. If you have not booked to return for the final 30 minutes but wish to do so in the evening, please inform our ushers, and we will do our very best to accommodate, space permitting.
—Location: correspondences 39 Sydney Road Brunswick VIC.

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Please note:
—15 seats are provided. The rest of the space in the gallery is standing. If you require a seat, please advise our ushers on arrival. 
—You can pre-order a refreshment. All proceeds go towards helping our space to continue doing what we do.
—If you’re displaying covid-like or flu symptoms, please rest and stay home.
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence our work and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.

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Précis — Acts of Devotion: Featuring Janette Hoe 

Acts of Devotion is a live durational performance featuring dance artist Janette Hoe, commissioned in connection with the residency project
سخن دل Sokhaneh del—language/speech.

The project examines the idea of ‘devotion’ or, more rightly, samimiyat صمیمیت, its widened meaning in the Persian-speaking world and, as inspired by the poetry of beloved thirteenth-century master poet Maulana Jalal al-Din (Maulana) /Rumi.

It’s an idea that encompasses a deep commitment to authentic friendship, conversation, love, community and the search for the authentic self and the divine - qualities that lie at the heart of much classical Persian poetry.

The project features multi-channel sound work, community singing and performance by Aarti Jadu, painting, drawing and community making by Inbal Nissim, and mixed-media works on paper by Javad Kashani.

Presented in three parts over three months, سخن دل Sokhaneh del has been conceptualised to invite fervent engagement of the ear (Part 1 گوش بده ‘listen’), eyes (Part 2 خاموش Khamoush / Silence ), and body (Part 3 The path to samimiyat صمیمیت).

In each part, the project has showcased different installations that allow audiences to inhabit and experience correspondences as a devotional space – and the artworks within it as devotional objects.

In keeping with the core principles of samimiyat, the idea of a devotional space and its objects is expansive—encompassing one of rest, connection, and care for the community through deep listening, looking, meditation, conversation and group-based singing and making on-site.

Acts of Devotion is presented in connection with the third and final part of the project, The path to samimiyat صمیمیت.

Extending the project's examination of devotion into the realm of dance, it's an invitation that acknowledges Maulana/Rumi's passionate commitment to dance, specifically the practice of sama, or whirling, which, together with music and silence, he saw as the path to samimiyat.

In her response, Janette will move to the sounds of Aarti's multi-channel sound work, Embodiments, which has featured in the exhibition space for the project's duration, providing a conceptual thread between the three parts of سخن دل Sokhaneh del.

Her movements will examine the idea of devotion and the sense of place on-site at correspondences, drawing inspiration from the sound and visual art practices in the room and the presence of audiences, their bodies and shared sensations.

The starting point for Janette's work is what she describes as her 'strong interest in the psychophysical and archival body', an inquiry that reaches beyond words and is grounded in her longstanding practice in the dance-theatre artform of Butoh and somatic movement-based improvisation modalities of both Eastern and Western origin.

As Janette elaborates:

Drawing from embodied history, lived experiences and memories, my intention is to find connecting points to the world through the senses and sensations. The struggle to connect solely with words has enabled me to develop, over time, a practice that extends into visual, gestural, and material components, that add to my artistic expression and connection to place.

—Choreography, Costume & Performance: Janette Hoe
—Sound: Embodiments, 2024, multi-channel sound work, site-specific, 1 hour, looped. Aarti Jadu
—Visual artworks featured: Inbal Nissim and Javad Kashani
—Concept, Set, Lighting & Production: correspondences
—Photography: Weiying Lu

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Artist Bio

Janette Hoe (Naarm/Melbourne) is a dance artist who is curious about whether dance can open dialogue across cultures, drawing from her own specific experiences to invoke response from others. Her aim is to celebrate stories and share knowledge through collaborative exchanges with artists and audiences.

Janette’s practice is grounded in the dance-theatre artform of Butoh and somatic movement-based improvisation modalities of both Eastern and Western origin. She has a strong interest in the psychophysical and ‘archival’ body. Drawing from embodied history, lived experiences and memories, her intention is to find connecting points to the world through the senses and sensations. The struggle to connect solely with words has seen Janette develop, over time, a practice that extends into visual, gestural, and material components, that add to her artistic expression.

Identifying strongly with her hybrid Malaysian-born, Chinese-Indonesian heritage her work explores the liminal space of shifting identities and multiple belongings. Her recent endeavours focus on the psycho-physical/psycho-emotional effects of the female ageing body at significant thresholds of transformation.

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Credits: The image of Janette pictured is by Damian Vincenzi. The second image is an installation view from Part 1 of سخن دل Sokhaneh del, picturing the painting of Inbal Nissim, which remains on display for the performance. It was photographed by Emily Weaving. 

Together with Aarti, Inbal and Javad, we invite you to explore
سخن دل  Sokhaneh del – language/speech of the heart after dark and join our Multilingual Poetry Reading/Listening Circle. For the duration of the project, we have focused on Maulana/Rumi's poetry. This will be the final session with this focus.

Please bring your favourite Maulana/Rumi poem to share/read in Farsi or whatever translation is dear to your heart. Or, just come to listen.

Javad will also read a selection of poems in Farsi for us and speak about a selection of their mixed-media works on paper exhibited, inspired by Maulana/Rumi's poems.

Please press the 'Join the guest list' button to reserve your attendance. 

Attendance is free. Bookings are essential for planning purposes.  Additional notes are provided below. 

* If you want to participate in the special meal we are planning, the ticketed price for the last session is $10, payable at the door. Or, as this offering is limited, please add the meal ticket to your free registration to ensure your dinner.  

Image credit: Extra from ghazal/ode 1759 by Maulana/Rumi translated by Haleh Liza Gafori from the original Persian documented as part of Badiozzaman Forouzanfar's collection of Rumi's works. 

Using voice for the breath and community - with resident artist Aarti Jadu

Together with Aarti, we invite you to join us at CORRESPONDENCES for deep listening and community singing.

Over the course of the residency, Aarti will lead three Thursday evening sessions:
— Thursday, 21 March (Complete)
— Thursday, 11 April (Complete)
— Thursday, 23 May.

Each session will run for one hour from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, and then participants are invited to loiter for a drink in reflection until 8:00 PM. 

We encourage participants to attend all three sessions to deepen engagement. But if you can only attend one or two sessions, we still encourage you to join us.

No singing experience is necessary.

Full Course: $30 / for 3 sessions
Single Pre-Book: $10 / limited reduced price ($5) and free tickets available. First-in-best-dressed.

Press 'Join the guest list' to reserve your attendance. Tickets are $10 per session, but reduced-price and free tickets are also available. 

Location: correspondences 39 Sydney Road Brunswick, VIC, 3056 Australia.

Additional notes are provided below.

Credits:  Image of Aarti by Chloe Sobejko

Additional notes:

—Participation is $10 per session to help support the labour involved in facilitating the session. Reduced-price and free tickets are also offered.
—Refreshments can be purchased on the evening. Or please select a ticket that includes a refreshment.
—Entry is officially from 6:15 PM for a 6:30 PM sharp start. 
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence the work that we do and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.
—Please note: Disability access: Unfortunately, we could not install an entry ramp into our facility due to building limitations. There is a 200mm step up into the front entrance of the gallery space. Please drop us an email in advance at info@correspondences.work to discuss this further and arrange assistance. There is no step-up if you enter via the rear laneway (parallel to Sydney Road). However, there are three steps down into the gallery from the rear courtyard (rise measurements of the steps are 110 mm, 155 mm and 170 mm). We have an ambulant toilet which is wheelchair friendly but can only be accessed via the rear courtyard. The Sarah Sands pub next door has a wheelchair-accessible bathroom.

“My journey into sound began with devotional music from India. As a first-generation Australian artist, I navigate diverse ideologies to uphold my artistic integrity while seeking ways to honour and represent my cultural heritage and beginnings as part of a family of devotional singers. My work as a trained trauma-informed yoga facilitator, rāga* music student, performer and disability worker also informs my practice. Always curious about the interplay between digital processing and organic voice, I use these mediums and my
experience to explore self, place and connection to community.”

—Aarti Jadu 

*Rāga is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music, unique to India with no equivalent concept in Western classical music. 

Presented as part of سخن دل Sokhaneh del – language/speech of the heart

Together with Inbal, we invite you to join her as she makes a new painting on-site, inviting the audience to join her in a collective act of mark-making using a single piece of fabric and a selection of inks sourced by the artist. 

The session will run for 1.5 hours from 2:00-3:30 PM, and then participants are invited to loiter for a cup of tea until 4:00 PM when the event will finish.

An email with details from the artist on the intentions for this collective act will be sent to participants prior to the session.

No painting or drawing experience is necessary. Inbal will guide us on the day while also supporting a spirit of experimentation. 

Press 'Join the guest list' to reserve your attendance. Attendance is free. Bookings are essential for planning purposes.

Location: correspondences 39 Sydney Road Brunswick, VIC, 3056 Australia (map).

Additional notes are provided below. 

Credits:  Image of Inbal by Madz Rehorek

Additional notes:

—Entry is from 1:45 PM for a 2:00 PM sharp start. 
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence the work that we do and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.
—Please note: Disability access: Unfortunately, we could not install an entry ramp into our facility due to building limitations. There is a 200mm step up into the front entrance of the gallery space. Please drop us an email in advance at info@correspondences.work to discuss this further and arrange assistance. There is no step-up if you enter via the rear laneway (parallel to Sydney Road). However, there are three steps down into the gallery from the rear courtyard (rise measurements of the steps are 110 mm, 155 mm and 170 mm). We have an ambulant toilet which is wheelchair friendly but can only be accessed via the rear courtyard. The Sarah Sands pub next door has a wheelchair-accessible bathroom.

Together with Aarti, Inbal and Javad, we invite you to join us for the opening of سخن دل Sokhaneh del – language/speech of the heart.

Javad will read a poem by Maulana/Rumi to mark the occasion.

Attendance is free. Bookings are essential for planning purposes. We thank you for your support.

Press 'Join the guest list‘ to join. 

Location: correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country  39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC 3056

Image credits:
Inbal Nissim, Ode 3 2023 ink on paper 53.0 x 43.0 cm © Inbal Nissim Photograph of Aarti Jadu by Chloe Sobejko. Photograph of Inbal Nissim by Madz Rehorekj. Photograph of Javad Kashani by Dion Van de Kamp.

Presented in partnership with Brunswick Music Festival

Join us to celebrate the launch of Brunswick Music Festival 2024 with Emma Ovenden / Octet Loves Nine Again.

Emma Ovenden / Octet Loves Nine Again showcases new electronic music by Ovenden from her residency project at CORRESPONDENCES with visual artist Elyss McCleary. The project, Harmonious Eccentricity, was inspired by Ovenden's albums, Parameter I and II, and works of visual art – the profoundly harmonious eccentricity in the sound and the innate sense of musicality in the abstract visual artworks of this self-described 'Unconventional beat maker. Integrity purist'. It's a sensibility also felt in McCleary's paintings like Octet Loves Nine Again 2022, which inspired the show's title.

Hermit to song. Master of melancholy. Harsh poet. Conductor of lo-fi orchestras. Unconventional beat maker. Integrity purist. Emma Ovenden pushes the creative envelope of composition using a computer-less setup to make electronic music. Please join us to experience the work of this singular artist for yourself.

Press 'Join the guest list to join'. 
Location: correspondences 39 Sydney Road Brunswick, VIC, 3056 Australia (map).

Proceedings:
—3:00-3:50 pm Sound check/set up. 
—3:50-4:00 pm Entry via the laneway at the rear of the gallery. As our attendants to direct you. 
—4:15-5:00 pm Performance
—5:00-5:30 pm Drinks, conversations with the performer and opportunity to explore the artists' exhibit. 

Additional notes regarding access and ticketing are provided below.  Access the broader BMF program --> here. 

Credits: The banner image is a detail of Elyss McCleary's painting, Octet Loves Nine Again 2022. The photograph of Emma below is by Will Hamilton Coates.

As part of Sydney Road Street Party 2024, join us for a conversation with Naarm/Melbourne-based writer, artist and photographer Sarah Walker to talk about her award-winning book, The First Time I Thought I Was Dying. 

We live in a world that expects us to be constantly in control of ourselves. Our bodies and minds, though, have other ideas. In this striking debut, artist and writer Sarah Walker wrestles with the awkward spaces where anatomy meets society: body image and Photoshop, phobias and religion, sex scenes and onstage violence, death and grief. Her luminous writing is at once specific and universal as she mines the limits of anxiety, intimacy and control. Sharp-witted and poignant, this collection of essays explores our unruly bodies and asks how we might learn to embrace our own chaos.

—Overview, The First Time I Thought I Was Dying UQP 

Bio
Sarah Walker is a Naarm/Melbourne-based writer, artist and photographer who makes work about anxiety, control and intimacy. Her first book, The First Time I Thought I Was Dying, a collection of non-fiction essays about the unruly body in late capitalism, won the 2021 Quentin Bryce Award. Her writing has been published widely and recognised in awards in Australia and internationally. Her art practice encompasses immersive binaural sound works, video and text-based installation, and collaborations across live art, participatory performance and theatre. She is a current PhD candidate at RMIT University.

Publisher: UQP 2021 © Sarah Walker

Note:—
—1) We stock limited copies of the book in-store. Head to our online shop to pre-purchase your copy and collect it on the day.
—2) Please select a ticket with a drink if you would like a refreshment. 
—3) Our Writers In Conversation events are $10. These funds help us to subsidise our next writer-in-conversation event. We thank you for your support. We offer limited free tickets for those in need. 

Acknowledgements & Credits
We respectfully acknowledge the Sovereign Custodians of the land and waters upon which we live and work, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend this respect to all First Peoples.

Join us on Saturday, 17 February, for a facilitated workshop with correspondences’ Emma Thomson. Throughout the session, we will also chat with resident artists Emma Ovenden and Elyss McCleary about collaging, their practice and their experiences working together on the project.

Your ticket includes all materials and equipment. All materials will be provided as part of the ticket price. If you'd like to bring a few of your own special materials, please do. Please also feel free to bring your own collage works in for a little show-and-tell! Resident artists Elyss and Emma will bring some examples of recent works.

Please refer below for Proceedings, Pre-work and Additional information. 

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Press 'Join the guest list to join'. 

Location: correspondences 39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick), VIC, 3056.

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Proceedings: 

1:00–1:05 pm / 5 minutes
Acknowledgement of Country
Welcome & Plan for today
Housekeeping & Questions? 

1:05 – 1:25 pm / 15-20 minutes
Introduction
What is collage?
Walkthrough of five elements with reference to images of other artists’ works 

1:25 – 1:55 pm / 30 minutes approx.
Activity 1 (Warm-up) – Abstract stripes
Idea: Sound and colour waves – draws inspiration from the concept of the Harmonious Eccentricity concept, which explores the intuitive connections between colour and sound.

2:00 – 2:15 pm / 15 minutes
Coffee/tea break/snacks & collage show and tell

2:15 – 3:15 or 3:30 pm / 60 minutes approx.
Activity 2 Collage inspired by one of the poems
Idea: Inspired by the imagery and sounds that emerge from the poems. Working more loosely without an under-drawing/sketch, focusing more on playing with arranging various cut-out elements. Participants will be sent a link to the following poems by Rebecca Elson and Lisel Mueller: 

Rebecca Elson: Antidotes to fear of death, Girl with a balloon & Let there always be light.
OR 
Lisel Mueller: Cicadas, Why I need the birds & The laughter of women

3:15-3:30 pm Wrapping up. The event concludes at 3:30 pm. 

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Pre-work:

—Think about the images, sounds, and related ideas that emerge from your reading of the poems. Choose one that might be the focus of Activity 2 for you.  A list will provided to guests who have registered. 
—Materials will be provided as part of the ticket price. However, if you'd like to bring a few of your own special materials, please do.
—Please also feel free to bring your own collage works in for a little show-and-tell! Resident artists Elyss and Emma will bring some examples of recent works. 

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Additional notes:

—Audiences are invited to contribute a collage for the guest book displayed in the space.
—If you prefer to join a freestyle, self-guided session, join us on Saturday, 2 March. Details —>here. 
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence our work and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.
—All contributions received go towards funding the work we do - like paying for materials and paying our creatives. 

Credit: Pictured are our guests enjoying community drawing as part of last year's Resonate project. Emma is also pictured. 

Together with Emma and Elyss, we invite you to join us for the opening of their residency project, Harmonious Eccentricity, and to celebrate the start of the new year.

Access is free. Bookings are essential for planning purposes. We thank you for your support.

Press 'Join the guest list to join'. 

Location: correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country  39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC 3056

Image credits:
Elyss McCleary, Golden sherbet waves pash, I want to be on a beach with you with a pine lime splice (detail), oil on linen canvas, 140 x 125.5 cm © Elyss McCleary

Presented as part of our annual Resonate program, Harmonious Eccentricity, featuring Emma and her collaborator Elyss McCleary. 

Join us for an intimate set of new live music by Emma. Elyss will also come along to listen and sketch a little.

For a taste of what to expect musically, listen to Emma's beautiful album Parameter (Part 1 and Part 2) via Bandcamp. you can also purchase a digital album there to support her practice. 

Press 'Join the guest list to join'. 

Location: correspondences 39 Sydney Road Brunswick, VIC, 3056 Australia (map).

Proceedings:
—6:00-6:30 pm Sound check/set up. 
—6:30-6:50 pm Guest entry. Set to commence at 7:00 pm. 
—7:00-7:45 pm Performance
—7:45-8:30 pm Drinks, conversations with the performer and opportunity to explore the artists' exhibit. 

This event is ticketed to help us subsidise the work we do. If you’d like a ticket with a drink, please choose the relevant ticket - pre-orders greatly assist our little Events team. 

Additional notes regarding access and ticketing are provided below. 

Credits: The banner images are stills from Emma Ovenden, I feel heavy, 2021, single-channel video/film clip, colour, sound (un-mastered), 3 mins © Emma Ovenden.  

Together with multi-instrumentalist/composer/visual artist Emma Ovenden and visual artist Elyss McCleary, we invite you to join us after dark to explore the first exhibit for their project and join our Multilingual Poetry Reading Circle - a monthly gathering inaugurated in 2023.

Press 'Join the guest list' to RSVP for planning purposes.

Note:—Admission is free, but drink purchases and donations are gratefully received as this income is used to continue doing our work.

Image credit: Stills from Emma Ovenden, Shadows, 2023, single-channel video/film clip featuring music by Emma Ovenden colour, sound, 3 mins © Emma Ovenden

Join us for our monthly Open House, where the objective is to create a space for informal encounters where new connections between our in-house team, the artist, our patrons, and the local community can develop.

For this final month, we invite you to join us for our second multilingual poetry reading circle. Ouyang and Jessye will share a couple of poems, and then we want to hand the floor over to you to share a poem or two in English or any other language. All levels and languages are welcome!

We'll also chat with the artists about their final exhibit.

Press 'Join the guest list' to RSVP for planning purposes.

Note:—Admission is free, but drink purchases and donations are gratefully received as this income is used to continue doing our work - like more of these events!

Image credit: Still of Jessye's film in progress as part of the residency. 

We warmly invite you to a special one-night-only improvised performance by esteemed composer and world-leading performing artist Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 in connection with the final weeks of Ouyang Yu & Jessye Wdowin-McGregor residency project ‘Ekphrasis’.

Guest entry via the front gallery entrance from 3:00 pm. to explore the latest exhibition by the resident artists. The improvisation will commence promptly at 3:30 p.m. and will run for approx. 30 minutes.

Bookings are essential for access to the performance space from 3:00-4:00 p.m. General access will re-open via the front gallery when the performance has ended, and we’d love you to join us then if preferred. Formal proceedings will conclude at 5 p.m. Guests are welcome to explore the exhibit and enjoy a drink together until 6 p.m. 

Places limited. Press 'Join the guest list to join'.

A limited number of free tickets for the performance are offered. General access after the performance is free and does not require registration.

Ticket sales, hospitality purchases and donations help us to cover the production costs of events such as this. We can do what we do, thanks to your generosity.

Location: correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country, 39 Sydney Road Brunswick, VIC, 3056 Australia.
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Additional information:
—Late arrivals may not be permitted after 3:15pm.
—Refreshments will be available - our house sake, shochu, umeshu or yuzu soda. Drinks (alcohol) will end at 6 pm.
—If you’re interested in acquiring one of the artist's artworks, please email info@correspondences.work or pop in and see us in person. 
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence the work that we do and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.
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Précis
Ekphrasis is a collaborative residency project exploring the time-honoured correlations between text and image. It features the words of poet, writer and editor Ouyang Yu and the images of visual artist Jessye Wdowin-McGregor.

Since July, Ouyang has been working with Jessye to capture a short film exploring his ‘tree-writing project’ - a filmic representation of the poet’s daily practice of writing poems on the trunks and leaves of trees in Bundoora Park, Kingsbury, a site of great inspiration he has returned to again and again for almost thirty years.

The film is a reflection upon ecology and time, the artists’ mutual love of nature and belief in the spontaneity of the creative act and vitality of the poetic image in the search for a sense of spirit and place.

At the heart of the project is the idea of 'found poetry', a search that drives both artists – Ouyang through his bilingual words of poetry and Jessye through her search with the camera and body.

For this one-night-only special event, we celebrate the launch of the artists’ film. We have invited internationally-acclaimed composer/performing artist Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 to feature as a guest artist making a live improvised music response to this idea of found poetry.

It is envisaged as an extension of the visual and written field into the sonic realm, drawing inspiration from the text, sounds and images of the film, which will be playing on repeat in the exhibition space.

On Saturday, 18 November, we are honoured to have acclaimed poet, writer, editor and translator Ouyang Yu facilitating a master poetry workshop for us.

Ouyang Yu is a Naarm (Melbourne)-based poet, novelist, literary scholar and translator. Over his decades-long writing career, he has published prolifically in both English and Chinese—including the award-winning novel The English Class (2010). His more recent works include the novel Billy Sing (2017) and the poetry collection Flag of Permanent Defeat (2019). He is the recipient of the 2022 Australia Council Fellowship for Literature, the awarding of which has allowed him to focus on his new documentary novel.

This workshop is suitable for writers at all levels.
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Saturday, 18 November, 2:00- 4:00 PM
correspondences Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country
39 Sydney Road Bulleke-bek (Brunswick) VIC
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Press the 'Join the guest list’ button to book your ticket. Places limited. 

Note:—
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence the work that we do and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.

Acknowledgements & Credits
We respectfully acknowledge the Sovereign Custodians of the land and waters upon which we live and work, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend this respect to all First Peoples. Leaf poems pictured are copyright Ouyang Yu.

Every month, we run an 'Art Walk' and invite our audiences to join us for a visit to see another creative space, art exhibition, or display - inside or outside. Join us at the CCP in November to see James Tylor: Turrangka…in the shadows.

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Multi-disciplinary artist James Tylor combines historical and contemporary photographic processes to explore his Nunga (Kaurna Miyurna), Māori (Te Arawa) and European (English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch and Norwegian) ancestry.

‘Turrangka…in the shadows’ surveys a decade of Tylor’s practice and, for the first time, brings together the most comprehensive selection of his unique daguerreotypes, expansive digital photographic series, hand-made Kaurna cultural objects, and furniture. The exhibition title is drawn from a Kaurna word, highlighting a significant ongoing aspect of Tylor’s practice: the learning and sharing of his Indigenous language. As well as shadow, turra also translates to reflection, image, and mirror.

Learn more —> here. 

Credit: Photograph of one of our monthly Art Walk attendees admiring the exhibition, ngaratya (together, us group, all in it together), last month. Find out more here.
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Plan/meeting location:
—Start at CCP, 404 George St Fitzroy VIC 3065 @1:55pm for 2:00 pm entry
—End CCP, at approx. 3:00 pm 

Press the ‘JOIN THE GUEST LIST’ button below to register for free.
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Note:—

—Joining our group is free, but we ask you to please RSVP below so that we know that you’d like to join us. Registrations close the day prior. Communication on the day is via email. If you’re lost, email or DM us via Instagram.
—All of our events are photographed as we need to document all that we do to evidence the work that we do and secure grant funding. If you'd prefer not to be featured in our event photographs, please let us know in advance, and we will ensure you're not captured. Your comfort is important to us.

Join us for a conversation with acclaimed Filipina Australian novelist, poet, short story writer, dramatist and performer Merlinda Bobis, who will be chatting with us (and singing for us) from Ngunnawal Country in Canberra via Zoom about her book, The Kindness of Birds.

An oriole sings to a dying father. A bleeding-heart dove saves the day. A crow wakes a woman’s resolve. Owls help a boy endure isolation. Cockatoos attend the laying of the dead. Always there are birds in these linked stories that pay homage to kindness and the kinship among women and the planet. From Australia to the Philippines, across cultures and species, kindness inspires resilience amidst loss and grief. Being together ignites resistance against violence. We pull through in the company of others.

Kindness cannot self-isolate. It moves both ways and all ways, like breath.

WINNER, CANBERRA CRITICS’ CIRCLE
SHORTLISTED, CHRISTINA STEAD PRIZE FOR FICTION, NSW PREMIER’S LITERARY AWARDS 2022

Publisher: Spinifex Press 2021 © Merlinda Bobis 2021
Cover design: Deb Snibson, MAPG

Note:—
—1) We stock limited copies of the book in-store. Head to our online shop to pre-purchase your copy and collect it on the day.
—2) Please select a ticket with a drink if you would like a refreshment 
—3) Our Writers In Conversation events are normally $10. But, as our writer will be joining us via Zoom on this occasion, admission tickets are free with the request for a $5 donation. These funds help us to subsidise our next writer-in-conversation event. We thank you for your support.

Bio
Award-winning writer Merlinda Bobis grew up in Albay, Philippines at the foot of an active volcano and now lives in Ngunnawal Country (Canberra), Australia. Novelist, poet, short story writer, dramatist and performer, she dreams up stories across different geographies and languages: English, Filipino and Bikol. She defies borders by transforming them into flourishing spaces of interconnection.

Merlinda has published novels, short story and poetry collections in Australia, Philippines, and the US, and critical-creative essays internationally. Her plays for stage and radio were performed in various countries, some by herself with dance and music, and she has also been composing songs. She has designed and facilitated community arts projects on the environment, women’s business, intercultural engagements and migration. She continues to work across genres as writer, performer, community arts facilitator and scholar.

Merlinda has a Bachelor of Arts (Summa cum Laude) from Aquinas University of Legazpi and a Master of Arts in Literature (Meritissimus) from University of Santo Tomas, Manila. For ten years, she taught Literature and English at Philippine universities before coming to Australia on a study grant. She completed her Doctorate of Creative Arts at University of Wollongong where she taught Creative Writing for more than 20 years. She is currently Honorary Senior Lecturer at Australian National University.

Acknowledgements & Credits
We respectfully acknowledge the Sovereign Custodians of the land and waters upon which we live and work, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend this respect to all First Peoples. 

Join resident artist Jessye Wdowin-McGregor in conversation with correspondences' Emma Thomson.

Jessye will reflect on her duo residency project in progress at correspondences, Ekphrasis, which she has been undertaking with acclaimed poet, writer, translator and editor Ouyang Yu.  Jessye has extended practice into sculpture as part of her project, creating a series of small bronze works. Inspired by nature encountered during her daily walks, especially shells, she has been exploring the idea of these small sculptures as tiny monuments or talismans.

A second project has involved casting her hand and then part-transforming it into delicate leaf matter - a cross-disciplinary connection back to her photographic and collage practice and site-based collaboration with Ouyang, which has reflected on Dirabeen (Darebin) Creek and Bundoora Park, the waterways, trees and places where Jessye walks, and Ouyang writes much of his poetry.

This event is part of Craft Contemporary 2023, an annual festival delivered by Craft Victoria. The focus of the conversation will be the making process, intersections between her sculpting/casting projects and her hand-made photography and collage practice and the experience of working with Ouyang and his poetry alongside her visual art practice.

About
The artist
Jessye is a Naarm (Melbourne)-based artist whose practice spans video, performance, photography, drawing, and collage. A relationship to place underpins much of her work, and she is inspired by environments that are sometimes at the periphery of attention, particularly within the urban realm. She is interested in our entanglements with other species, the thresholds between body and landscape, the human impact on the natural world, spontaneous forms of urban nature, and the elemental infrastructures that shape our surroundings. Artist website https://www.jessyewdowinmcgregor.com/

Craft Contemporary
Craft Contemporary (1–31 October) is an annual festival delivered by Craft Victoria – the largest celebration of craft and design in Victoria. The festival brings together practitioners, educators, industry, and craft lovers to explore material practice as it is today. See, touch, experience and be inspired by 150+ art experiences, including exhibitions, talks, demonstrations, workshops and open studios. You can view the rest of the program —> here.

Note:—
—1) Conversation 2-3 pm, question time 3-3:30 pm. We’d love your questions in advance! Email us at info@correspondences.work.
—2) Admission is free, but drink purchases and donations are gratefully received as this income is used to continue doing our work.

Image credits:
1) Event page - A soft spiral unfurling and an eyeful of aster, 2022, inkjet fine art archival print on Canson Rag Photographique, 46.5 x 36.9cm
2) Header image - Making in-progress / Ekphrasis, 2023 
3) Artist headshot  

All images are copyright Jessye Wdowin-McGregor. 

Bio
Jessye Wdowin-McGregor is a visual artist whose practice spans video, performance, photography, drawing and collage. A relationship to place underpins much of her work, and she is inspired by environments that are sometimes at the periphery of attention, particularly within the urban realm. She is interested in our entanglements with other species, the thresholds between body and landscape, the human impact on the natural world, spontaneous forms of urban nature, and the elemental infrastructures that shape our surroundings. Her practice incorporates both her own imaging of place and the use of found imagery, allowing for a combination of archival, personal and material memory, and the means to reflect inner as well as outer landscapes.

Artist website https://www.jessyewdowinmcgregor.com/

Acknowledgements & Credits
We respectfully acknowledge the Sovereign Custodians of the land and waters upon which we live and work, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend this respect to all First Peoples. 

Join us for our monthly Open House, where the objective is to create a space for informal encounters where new connections between our in-house team, the artist, our patrons, and the local community can develop.

This month, together with Ouyang and Jessye, we invite you to join us for a multilingual poetry reading circle. Ouyang will share a couple of poems from his book, Flag of Permanent Defeat, and then we want to hand the floor over to you to share a poem or two in English or any other language.

We'll also chat with Ouyang about his bilingual practice, writing in English and his Chinese mother tongue. We'd love to hear your perspectives about this, too. All levels and languages are welcome!

Press 'Join the guest list' to RSVP for planning purposes.

Note:—Admission is free, but drink purchases and donations are gratefully received as this income is used to continue doing our work - like more of these events!

Image credit: Still of Jessye's film in progress as part of the residency.