Unstabled Director Mike Pony is delighted to have received an Arts Council England International Development Fund Award to undertake a production research trip to Australia.
Mike is currently down under, taking part in producer residencies with Proximity Festival (Perth) and Performance Space (Sydney). He is working with the host festivals to meet Australian artists and producers, develop his thinking around the development of a new Bristol based festival and to strategise a supportive and sustainable model for mentoring, developing and refining new work before it is presented in the festival.
Mike is keen to meet Australian artists, collectives, festivals, venues and producers. He is particularly interested in developing models for supporting new/emergent performance, along with discovering Australian artists who work in performance, music and creative technology. Mike has a keen interest in the presence of the body in art; a sense of liveness is a key factor in the work that he seeks to programme in the festival.
Whilst in Perth, Mike is working with Proximity Festival on their on opening event Party For 1 before he travels to Sydney (1st to 15th Nov) and Melbourne (15th to 30th Nov).