The Lock-up exercise yard providing an incredible venue for our panel ‘Space, Land & Language’

…And just some of the full house audience

The CA audience gets their craft on for a unique workshop: ‘Empirical Adventures Through An Architectural Wonderland’

Wearable cities coming to life!

‘Petite Presses & Artist Books’

Discussing ‘The Landscape of Crisis’

‘Text Inscription, Oral History & Sonic Murmurs’

Mathew Abbott reads at The Gun Club

….to our great Gun Club audience!

Followed by Oscar Schwartz, Michael Farrell and Astrid Lorange.

Joe Mariglio deep in discussion at ‘Experimental Fault Lines’

Hope you can be with us this year to see it for yourself!

In the meantime, have you marked 28 – 30 September in your calendar yet?

Sophie Lamond; Director (2012 – 2013)
Sophie Lamond has recently returned to Sydney after completing an honours degree in Art History and Curatorship at the Australian National University in Canberra. She’s recently escaped a life as a professional volunteer and intern and begun working as an art educator on Cockatoo Island on Sydney Harbour. Sophie is interested in eco-critical art, architecture, collaborative and interdisciplinary artistic practice and relational aesthetics. Sophie has been a long-time visitor to This is Not Art, presented at last year’s Critical Animals and is thrilled to be a director in 2012.

Tulleah Pearce; Director (2012 – 2013)
Tulleah Pearce is an arts administrator, reader and occasional writer working in Western Sydney. She has previously worked for a private art collection and in commercial galleries. In 2010 she completed her Art History thesis at COFA exploring national identity, globalisation and biopolitics in contemporary Indian art – She is too afraid to reread it (in case of typos). Her interests include political theory, social history, museology and critical theory, as well as hybrid, ephemeral, and conceptually driven art practices. This is her first Critical Animals, please be kind.

It’s so great to have these ladies on board and we can’t wait for their input into the 2012 program. We are also excited to introduce our new Program Coordinator:

Beau Anthony Deurwaarder; Program Coordinator
Beau is young whirlwind of creative energy, thrilled to be a new addition to the Critical Animals project this year. Whilst writing his honours thesis in Philosophy and English, a continental analysis of innovation and its constitutive social and political  dimensions, Beau works during the week in disability support, during the weekend as a filthy Melbourne DJ, and at all given moments in between as a certified fun and mischief maker.

We look forward to meeting you all in person at Critical Animals 2012! Don’t forget – proposals are due April 1st

Angela Woda and Jade Cantwell, Empirical Adventures through an Architectural Wonderland, Critical Animals 2011. Photo by Luke Kellet

Critical Animals are now calling for proposals for participation in their 2012 symposium.

DEADLINE – 1 APRIL, 2012

 Critical Animals is a forum for curious individuals who are critically engaged with creative and experimental art practices. It is an opportunity to present ongoing research and work collaboratively with other students, writers, artists, designers and thinkers.

Critical Animals aims to strengthen the links between practice and theory with a flexible definition of research that encompasses creative, experimental, interrogative and practice-lead approaches.

The symposium is particularly interested in promoting and facilitating cross-disciplinary and collaborative approaches. In assessing your proposal we will consider how your work may form interesting conjunctions with other artists and thinkers.

This is Not Art and Critical Animals will take place in Newcastle, NSW from 28 September to 1 October 2012.

 Papers, Panels, Presentations and Projects

We are looking to receive proposals from artists and researchers who are investigating or putting into practice specific areas of theory and philosophy – from explorations of form and methodology, to theoretical explorations of contemporary issues. We welcome research material and reflections on poetics, politics, aesthetics, practice-lead research, ecological art and ecopoetics, architecture, design, museology, critical theory, social history, hybrid and multi-arts practices and the intersection of art with other disciplines or the everyday.

Experimental and non-traditional presentations are encouraged. Papers and Presentations generally allow for 20 minutes per artist, plus discussion. Critical Animals invites also artists to perform or share their work.

Proposals

In your proposal please outline your practice, your project (if applicable) and the way in which you’d like to present it. Where possible, be specific. Take up to 500 words. We’re also looking for artists who can be involved in cross-festival events and panels with artists from the other TiNA programs.

1 – In your proposal please include:

- Name

- Phone Number

- Email Address

- Website (if applicable)

- University or Institution (if applicable)

- Short Bio (25 Words)

- A Bio Pic (300dpi with credits where applicable)

If you have any great images of your work please feel free to add them as well. Please note that all images supplied may be used for both Critical Animals and TiNA publicity.

2  - Have you applied to other This is Not Art Programs? If so, which?

National Young Writers Festival

Crack Theatre Festival

TiNA special project proposal

Would you like to programmed across other TiNA Festivals? Again, which?

Are you involved in any events happening around TiNA?

If you would like to be involved with Critical Animals but you do not have a proposal, contact us with details on your interests or areas of expertise and how we might use your skills in the festival.

Submit proposals, ideas and any questions to critical.animals@gmail.com.

You can download a PDF of these application guidelines HERE

We look forward to hearing from you!

This is Not Art is seeking an artist/producer or collective to conceive and facilitate an ambitious and visible project which will activate Newcastle’s public spaces and engage the community.

A new opportunity for artist/producers and artist collectives has become available in the lead-up to This Is Not Art 2012. Click the link below to read more about the project and how you can apply. Applications close Friday March 16th.

2012 Artist Producer Position

This is a great opportunity for a highly motivated and passionate individual to take the reins of a longstanding independent and dynamic arts festival, of which Critical Animals is a proud component.

For the full position description and application guidelines visit the TINA website or click HERE

Applications close Tuesday February 21st.

The Critical Animals Creative research symposium is looking for a new Co-Director for the 2012 and 2013 Festivals. The successful applicant will work alongside current directors Yolande Norris and Julia Shaw.

Interested researchers, thinkers, artists and organisers should send a CV and covering letter to critical.animals@gmail.com. Click here to view the Position Description.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Ella, Yolande and Julia

Co-Directors, Critical Animals 2011

We’ve had a few weeks now to recover (mostly), and to soak it all in, and it’s safe to say that Critical Animals 2011 was a hands-down success. We had diverse, challenging and thoroughly entertaining panels, rip-roaring ‘Nights at the Gun Bar’, and the most fun workshop ever had by anyone, anywhere (we think).

A wonderful surprise was the huge audience turnout – our venues were packed full of lovely folk contributing to passionate discussion, asking interesting questions and ultimately making Critical Animals everything that it aims to be about. Not even a torrential deluge and unsettlingly close lightening strikes could keep you lot at bay, so thank you all who came along, participated and became part of the Critical Animals family – you make it all worthwhile.

Huge gratitude goes out to our 2011 artists – to all those who travelled at their own cost, from far and wide, to join the conversation and to share their skills, talents and research. Thank you for your generosity – it was an honour to work with each and every one of you, and we can’t wait to see what amazing things you do next!

We must also say a huge thank you to our awesome venues and their staff who went far above and beyond. Thanks to Dean at The Royal Exchange for being so accommodating, keeping the place looking great and our sound running smoothly. Thanks also to Lance at The Lock Up for being the best problem-solver ever – we couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank you to our TINA family – to coordinator Eliza Adam and to the directors and staff of Crack Theatre Festival, Electrofringe and the National Young Writers Festival. We couldn’t ask for a more inspiring crew to be surrounded by, or a more amazing festival to be associated with.

Last, but not least, a massive thank you to our generous sponsors: Newcastle University, Macquarie University, University of Technology Sydney and Copyright Agency Limited, and thank you to everyone who has offered us support, advice, or has volunteered a helping hand.

It’s been swell, we miss you all already.

xo the CA team

PS: pics from the festival coming soon!!

We’re madly printing, stamping, shopping, arranging, despatching and the phone’s running off the hook! Most of all we’re excited to get the festival underway, meet you all and to bring to fruition the last twelve month’s work.

Don’t forget to join us at The Royal Exchange, Bolton Street, at 4pm tomorrow (Thursday the 28th of September) for our Critical Animals meet and greet. After that, we will all head across to the This Is Not Art festival launch, 6pm at the Great Northern Hotel.

If you’re a newcomer to This Is Not Art, or just need some refreshing, there are some great lists of how-tos and hints on the Octapod Arts & Culture blog, as well as on the This Is Not Art site. You can also follow both Critical Animals and This Is Not Art on Twitter for to-the-minute updates and recommendations.

Time to get out your highlighters, peruse the Critical Animals program, and formulate your plan of attack.