In November last year I was invited to imagine a parallel world without gender as part of an event at Melbourne Conversations. ABC recently broadcast those dispatches from the multiverse on Big Ideas with Natasha Mitchell, you can hear it here.
Audio histories gone wild
I just realised that I had this post sitting in drafts for more than a year after I posted my first ‘Friends of Underfoot‘ roundup! Well, it’s never too late. If you’re into audio journeys, hyperlocal history, site-specific art and Underfoot, here are some other projects to check out:
Six Walks
Six Walks is a series of audio walking tours that was commissioned by the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in 2020 as part of the multi-platform project Who’s Afraid of Public Space?
I think Underfoot fans will particularly enjoy Episode 5 with Timmah Ball, ‘Exploding the Maribyrnong‘.
Yalinguth
Yalinguth is a mobile app that delivers an augmented audio experience reflecting the oral storytelling tradition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Queerways Melbourne
Queer-ways maps the queer cartography of Australia, combining the queer stories and voices of past and present into a permanent, interactive record of being queer in Australia. It’s curated by Luciano and Georgia Keats and supported by the Australian Queer Archive and there’s also a delicious interactive map you can add your own footprint to.
A History of LGBTIQ+ Victoria in 100 Places and Objects
Another beautiful queer history project with a place-making focus, this project was commissioned by Heritage Victoria and it’s full of intriguing surprises.
Oscillations
Speaking of history through objects, here’s one I loved being part of: Powerhouse’s Oscillations six-part series, which takes unassuming objects in the collection as departure points for all sorts of reflections and investigations. Listen at the link above or view the illustrated transcripts on the Powerhouse website.
Hard Read
My audio piece for Powerhouse Museum’s Oscillations project is finally out! It’s a chewy little story about sino/trans inscrutability, visibility and representation. Massive thanks to sound and story wizard Jon Tjhia, and everyone whose voices and ideas are part of this work: Atong Atem, Oliver Reeson, Kate Bagnall and Tim Sherratt, and my glorious chorus. So proud of this. Listen here.
What does it cost to be visible? Chinese and trans people shift in and out of focus in Australia’s historical records – appearing and disappearing, code-switching, oscillating. Through the lens of turn-of-the-century portrait photography, Jinghua Qian looks at the privilege and burden of representation and the luminous power of inscrutability.
If you liked Underfoot…
Here are some other local history and place-inspired art projects to check out.
Maribyrnong walking tour with Elders
Sun 27 Mar, 2 – 3:30pm
Artist Roberta Joy Rich’s exhibition The Purple Shall Govern explores the resilience of people during Apartheid-era South Africa, alongside those living on the unceded sovereign lands of Australia. As part of the exhibition program, you can join the artist and Elders Uncle Larry Walsh and N’arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM as they guide you through the rich landscape of Kulin Country along the Maribyrnong river banks. More info and bookings here.
Work, worker
Thu 20 Jan, Wed 16 Feb and Fri 4 Mar 2022
Artist Hoang Tran Nguyen presents these participatory karaoke performances as part of his ongoing series, Labour. With a list of songs that are themed and or titled in relation to work, working and workers, the repertoire spans trade union songs to pop music, and includes tracks in both English and Vietnamese. The sites are also all connected to histories of labour – the ANA Building, University Square, and the Westgate Bridge. Register here.
Check out Hoang’s past work too, or you can read about it in Liminal or in this incredible essay by Scott Brook for Meanjin, ‘Footscray, for example‘ – I think Underfoot listeners will really appreciate it!
Wander the Wood
Wander the Wood is a self-guided walking tour through the flats of one of Melbourne’s most well worn neighbourhoods, starting from the iconic Smith and Stanley Street corner in Collingwood. As you walk the grounds of the public housing estate, listen to stories of the area’s creative history and hear about its residents’ talents and journeys. Created by Izzy Brown, Joshua Tavares, Mini Miller and Viv Malo with producer Annaliese Redlich, as part of Rising festival.
Local Time
Created by Bec Fary on Boonwurrung and Woiwurrung lands in Footscray, this durational listening experience is algorithmic and shifts through the night, and day to day. You’re invited to come and go as you please, whether you choose to forefront these listenings or use them as background soundtracks.
Melbourne Circle
A blog and now book by Nick Gadd based on a series of walks he and his late wife Lynne took around Melbourne’s suburbs, forming a circle around the city. Gadd says, ‘The walks are an experiment in psychogeography – which I define as an attempt to understand a place by experiencing it at close range, and seeking to make a connection with the lives and the stories embedded in the place.’
Please add your suggestions in the comments! I know I had a couple of other things bookmarked that I can’t find anymore.
FCAC Radio
Catch me chatting to Footscray Community Arts Centre’s Vyshnavee Wijekumar about writing, sexting, and fandom ahead of the SMUT: Queer Erotic Fan Fiction Salon this Friday. Listen on Spotify below or find it in your fave podcast platform.
Underfoot: underground histories from Footscray 3011
Finally it’s launch day!
Underfoot presents four virtual audio tours through Footscray’s past. Liz and I bring an intimate lens to local history as we wander the streets and the archives looking for people like us: queers, migrants, radicals and artists. There are some big conversations about capitalism, nationalism and settler nativism, as well as some finely aged gossip.
Each track comes with a map, transcript, photos and notes so you can either explore these places in real life (observing social distancing!) or just enjoy the stories while staying home. You can even dive into some historical research yourself if you’re so inclined.
Jinghua Qian 