Archer programmed the innovative Back to Back Theatre,
a Melbourne troupe of mostly disabled actors, who went on to push
boundaries with works like Small Metal Objects (2005), performed among
commuters in Flinders Street Station and the confronting Ganesh Versus the
Third Reich (2011), which has won accolades around the world.
Federation Square, which opened in 2002, gave Melbourne a new
focus and the Festival a new outdoor performance space. Archer used
it brilliantly with her hugely popular Dancing in the Streets that year and
Singing in the Square in 2004.
Le Dernier
Caravansérail (Odyssées)
THÉÂTRE DU SOLEIL /
FRANCE
/ 2005 12
PATTI SMITH USA
/ Residency /
2008 14
/ Artistic directions
“
Federation Square
gave Melbourne
a new focus and the
Festival a new outdoor
performance space.
”
15
BATSHEVA
DANCE COMPANY
ISRAEL
Anaphase / 2000
Max / 2008
Three / 2008 13
Decadance / 2015
Last Work / 2015
Kristy Edmunds (2005—2008) was acutely aware of being the first nonAustralian Director since Menotti and of being an American in the years
following George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Edmunds knew Australia well
from visiting as a curator and her knowledge of the Melbourne arts scene
consolidated quickly. Much of her focus was to connect Australian artists to
the global arena, and to invite contemporary artists of critical acclaim into
Melbourne. Her lauded Artist Lounge was a hallmark of each of her four
Festivals.
For her first Festival, Edmunds programmed the powerful Le
Dernier Caravansérail, by the great theatre-maker Ariane Mnouchkine, which
was a huge undertaking with the full company of Théâtre du Soleil. It was
an eight-hour meditation on contemporary odyssey through the lens of
refugees worldwide, and the layered complexity these migrations pose to
countries perceived to offer safe harbour. Originally inspired by the historic
events of the Tampa controversy: the Howard Government’s refusal to allow
a Norwegian freighter in distress take port in Australia after discovering
over 200 asylum seekers on board—the production re-staged the plight of
these Afghan refugees. Audiences were profoundly moved by the reality
underneath the nightly news, and their emotional standing ovations were
testament to the power of art.
A completely different experience was the all-encompassing
survey of the work of Patti Smith: multiple concerts, an exhibition of her
photography, a film about her, a literary reading, and public conversations
with other artists. Such annual surveys were a feature of Edmunds’
programs. She also programmed a multi-faceted retrospective on Merce
Cunningham, one of the giants of contemporary dance. It was the largest
program of Cunningham’s work ever to have been presented, and touched
all disciplines.
Edmunds other notable moments included performances by Laurie
Anderson and Philip Glass, Barrie Kosky’s Schauspielhaus Vienna’s The Tell
Tale Heart and two outings for director Robert Wilson; I La Galigo in 2006 and
The Temptation of Saint Anthony the following year.
In a particularly strong dance program, Edmunds presented Shen
Wei Dance Arts, Stephen Petronio Company, Bill T. Jones, Sankai Juku,
Jérôme Bel and a residency with the UK performance duo Lone Twin. She
invited Batsheva Dance Company to return too, the second of three visits.
Her curatorial work with Back to Back Theatre, Lucy Guerin Inc,
and numerous Melbourne-based artists generated substantial international
touring, notably the first presentation of the newly formed Black Arm Band,
which returned in a collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
during Edmunds’ final year.