The visual performance of Ripairian
A new performance and exhibition, Ripairian, by Edith Cowan University (ECU) and Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) researcher, Dr Vahri McKenzie, is creating community action and ecological awareness through a progressive combination of technology and art.
The installation and performance artwork is celebrating the Mandoon Bilya (Helena River) area, showcasing its resilience and natural beauty, which is under constant pressure from development, pollution, and neglect.
Dr Vahri McKenzie
"Our project is about this very vulnerable lower floodplain just before it joins the Swan River. The work is seeking to celebrate this place that is incredibly vibrant despite the history of mismanagement and industrial impact, which has rendered the water quality very poor," Dr McKenzie said.
A blending of nature and technology
Dr McKenzie's work has always focused on collaboration, and the latest project has incorporated various technological media to generate immersion and a sense of community from a distance.
"The art centre is crucial to the experience. We really want people to have this experience together, even though it is mediated," Dr McKenzie said.
"So that's quite innovative in the way that we're asking people to experience a mediated artwork, together in a physical space."
The performance component of the exhibition takes place on 28 September and 5 October and will be livestreamed at the Midland Junction Arts Centre to an in-house audience. However, the physical performance will occur at the actual site of the Mandoon Bilya.
This immersive experience has come about both by design and by circumstance. The inaccessibility of the actual performance space in nature has led to the use of technology to create an immersive performance through the combination of different forms of media and live performance art.
"We did not want to exacerbate the ecological problems that the river suffers, so that was a real challenge and call to action for me as a performance maker to adopt an innovative approach. I wanted to draw attention to this remarkable place," Dr McKenzie said.
A truly collaborative project
The strong ecological focus of this project has brought together various ECU and community stakeholders to help the Mandoon Bilya.
Dr McKenzie has partnered with Gemma Ben-Ary, a visual artist and curator based in Perth, who also serves as the chairperson for Art on the Move. In addition, ECU alumni, Michael Terren, accompanies the live performance with music.
Partnering with Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association and their initiative for Boor-Yul Bah Bilya, which is an Aboriginal-led community project that champions inclusive collaboration to restore river health, the artwork is a way to exchange valuable shared knowledge with the performing ensemble and their audience.
ECU staff and alumni are warmly invited to visit the exhibition and performance. For more information or to register visit Midland Junction Arts Centre.
