Past Projects

2016 –

Aeon Residency, as part of Vitalstatistix’s Adhocracy

Lead artists: Lz Dunn, Lawrence English, Lara Thoms, Shian Law

With: Alysha Herrmann, Bella Hone-Saunders, Erin Fowler, Jonno Revanche, Lauren Abineri, Marcus Louend, Pony Horseman, Sara Scarlet Strachan, Susan Bruce & Thomas Capogreco.

The Aeon residency invited 10 South Australian artists into the process of refining Aeon with the lead artists during Adhocracy. Adhocracy presented two public performances of the work in August.  Aeon is a listening experience and participatory performance exploring what we think of as ‘natural’. Queer, uplifting, personal and public, Aeon continues to be developed and presented nationally by the lead artists.

Mind the Garden

Mind the Garden was a 12 hour poetry residency across June 2016 in City Library, Adelaide supported by Spoken Word SA.

Mind the Garden explored the idea of a whispered poetry performance and installation for one audience member at a time. Mind the Garden used the library as a starting place for conversation and exploration, starting from the idea that the mind is something we can all grow. An insight into the outcome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf4IODfc_jA

Another Elusive Maybe

By Alysha Herrmann and Ryan Morrison. Performed by Alysha Herrmann.

Another Elusive Maybe was a performance experiment presented as part of the Adelaide Fringe 2016. Each show was presented in a different (real life) lounge-room for a maximum of 8 people per show. The performance incorporated poetry & soundscape (via silent disco headsets), live text message conversations (with each individual audience member) and expressing breast milk.

“Amidst all the rabble about the true meaning of Fringe, I can tell you that this is it. Real art that pushes the boundaries – art that is completely different to anything you’ve experienced before.

Another Elusive Maybe is truly special. It’s an intimate and absorbing experience that cuts you off but leaves you wanting more.”

Jen St Jack, Great Scott ★★★★½

Manifold Portrait (ongoing)

Lead Artist: Alysha Herrman

With: Caroline Reid, Jessica Weidenhofer, Lauren Foreman.

Manifold Portrait is a community arts and cultural development project bringing together professional artists with residents of Manifold Crescent and Derrick Street, surrounding Rotary Park in Berri, SA.For me the project is a long-term artistic commitment to developing a collection of outcomes that nurture resilience, connection and community. The project started in 2015 with a small residency and a sharing evening outcome of food, photographs and installations in the park. in 2016, the focus was on building relationships and trust with residents of the park and get to know what they’d really like to be part of.

2015 –

Manifold Portrait (as part of Country Arts SA’s ‘This Is A River’)

Lead Artist: Alysha Herrman

With: Caroline Reid, Jessica Weidenhofer, Terry & Lorraine Marter.

Community arts and cultural development project with Manifold Crescent and Derrick Street, Berri. It’s a conversation exploring local stories of place, resilience, hope, connection and frustration through the creation of artistic ‘things’. This project is ongoing, the 2015 stage was presented as part of This Is A River, a series of ten artistic residencies curated and support by Country Arts SA along the South Australian stretch of the River Murray. Read about Manifold Portrait here and here.

Regional SA Tour of Sprout by Jessica Bellamy

I produced a small regional SA tour of Jessica Bellamy’s play Sprout with director Hannah Fallowfield. Background on the project here, photos from the tour here.

Sprout is a play set in an Australia of the future, where everything has dried up, run out, or fled. In this world, human beings live in skeleton cities, or out in the wild, with only the barest of necessities for survival. One thing unites these fragmented souls: a self-appointed prophet on the radio, the Weatherman, who shares classic poetry with his listeners – his way of making their fear and desolation more bearable, through the beauty of language. And in this world full of endings, four people start new beginnings. Curiosity, romance and new life continue to sprout.

A Caring Portrait

Lead Artist: Alysha Herrmann

With: Vanessa Kalderovskis, Siobhan Fearon and Brianna Obst

A micro community arts and cultural development project bringing together carers and professional artists to create an exhibition of photographic and poetry portraits. Read photographer Siobhan Fearon’s lovely words about the project over on her blog (plus see the stunning pictures she took!) here.

2014 –

2014 was a year of less/smaller indie projects, although I did:

• give birth to our longed for second child and took three and a half months of maternity leave from my day job and my indie projects
• participate in Vitalstastix’ Adhocracy ‘Future Present’ Residency led by Rosie Dennis (an interdisciplinary project, exploring climate change and economic transition, through relationships and conversations between artists and non-artists. Read about it here.)
• play a small role in Urban Myth’s production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Glenn Hayden (prior to the heartbreaking closing of this 33 year old company at the end of 2014)
• present on a panel and ‘sum it up session’ at the 2014 Regional Arts Conference (hosted in Kalgoorlie), my sum it up presentation was later published by ArtsHub, you can find it here.
• have my second experience of being published in hard copy. A memoir piece of mine was published by Griffith Review as part of Edition 44: Cultural Solutions, which can also be read online here.
• Had a variety of other things published online, including blogs for the Skin Deep Project and Feltspace Writing Program.

Overheard (Creative Development)

2013 –

Sing Me Your Sorrow

Creative Team: Alysha Herrmann, Brianna Obst, Jessica Weidenhofer, Nic Tubb

Sing Me Your Sorrow is a participatory installation/space exploration. Inspired by the PostSecret community and The Obliteration Room by artist Yayoi Kusama and the need we all have to share our hurts with someone who will listen.

Sing Me Your Sorrow invites the audience to write/draw their story of sorrow into the space our artistic team claims. Over the course of an afternoon/day/month, the artistic team then responds to those stories with through photography, poetry and digital media culminating in a unique song of sorrow. Sing Me Your Sorrow was first presented at the 2013 Crack Theatre Festival (as part of This Is Not Art).

2012 –

PressureLands

Lead Artist: Alysha Herrmann

With: PressureLands ensemble

PressureLands was a community arts performance project in the Riverland exploring the concept of pressure (success, expectations etc) and how it shapes the experiences of young people aged 14-26.

Stage 1 of the project ran in 2010 with community consultations, one week creative development and a work in progress showing.

Stage 2 of the project during 2011 was intensive creative development with the 2010 ensemble leading into a performance as part of Adelaide Fringe 2012.

Head to the PressureLands Blog for further information and insight into previous stages of the project here and on YouTube.