By Gabriella Vukman
Consisting of over 40 diverse offerings across Knox, the Knox city Council’s Immerse program has just wrapped up having funded many artists and creators.
With the aim of making art more accessible to the Hills community, Knox’s Immerse festival ran over the month of July and featured interactive artworks, installations, performances and projections and surprising activations.
“Highlights included popular public art bus tours exploring the Knox Public Art Trails, performances at Knox Community Arts Centre and the celebration of NAIDOC Week with LightBox Galleries showcasing contemporary First Nations artwork,” a council spokesperson said
“The finale of the month-long event was Water and Light by Ferntree Gully’s Little Projector Company, a family-friendly light show celebrating the local environment and evolution of the Dandenong Ranges.
“Held at Ferntree Gully Quarry on the last weekend of Immerse, the 100 metre-wide projection illuminated the quarry cliff. It featured spectacular projection mapping, a cinematic soundscape and colourful works by local artists.”
Along with the Immerse program, the Knox city Council implemented a program called Artslink in efforts to connect visual artists with businesses to exhibit their works in shops, cafes and other places.
Immerse-featured choreographer and performer Jonathan Homsey said “what the city of Knox is doing is very refreshing. I would like to highlight the opportunities the Immerse festival has created.”
“Commissions like this are becoming more and more rare,” he said.
“There’s not many other opportunities now throughout all of Melbourne and Victoria, as the economy of an artist it is very hard to do something right now.”
The Immerse festival was free and open to the public.
“I’m very passionate about gift versus monetisation of the arts. I want arts to be a part of the public service. I want my art to serve the public,” Jonathan said.
“These performances are gifted to society. If there was a ticket exchange, I think it would be very different. I would want to entertain them with something very spectacular but I think in these short, gifted, 20-minute events, it’s just to make people curious.
“This program afforded local audiences an opportunity to dip their toes into the water as opposed to being fully and suddenly immersed into something that they didn’t consent to,” Jonathan said.
With exhibits ranging from the Knox library to the Ferntree Gully Quarry, Knox’s Immerse festival also aimed to break down stereotypical, unipolar ideologies surrounding gallery and arts exhibitions.
As opportunities for upcoming artists are squeezed by today’s economy, Jonathan emphasises the significance of creating avenues for emerging artists.
“What’s really important is the opportunity for emerging artists to get their toes in the water because there’s not enough opportunities. There’s all these young artists that I can’t employ,” Jonathan said.
“Immerse recognises that it’s really hard to get a platform for these artists especially when it comes to being paid ethically and with award rates which is so important in the cost of living crisis.”
Highlighting the difference between inner-city and outer metro festivals, Jonathan sees Immerse as a way to introduce locals to new art forms.
“In the city we are used to all the buskers and I would like to have that same neighbourhood quality in the outer metro area as well as the inner metro and develop a palette for being used to it,” he said.
“All art is in good taste, it’s just that people have different taste palettes.
“They are different fruits, being in the outer metro or CBD, but all the tastes are valid but I’m just wanting to expand people’s palettes.”
Jonathan enjoyed the camaraderie and interaction afforded by the Immerse festival.
“Working with the council was really refreshing. Everyone had a great camaraderie and I really enjoyed interacting with the children in the area. That was the most rewarding part,” Jonathan said
“I could see kids that were curious and if I inspire a boy to dance and go to dance school and not have my experience being the only boy with all the girls and being constantly reprimanded, then I have done my job.”
