Melbourne Fringe Festival Furniture Rant!!!!!!!!(With update and pic)

[kimski]

I have been working on a project over the last few months. It's a knitted object about the size of a afghan and I'm making it entirely out of reused plastic shopping bags and other found objects. (I'm actually keeping what it actually is under wraps untill I exhibit it).

So this is a big thing for me, and I've been putting HEAPS of time into it. Not to mention getting grabbing bundles of plastic bags out of those Coles bins and separating the clean ones from the not clean ones, I mean - Yuck!

And all this time looking forward to entering my thing into fringe furniture. My first exhibit (as an adult anyway). My first fringe participation. Today I went to the web site to down load all the application forms etc. I fixed the (*&%&^ printer so I could fill them out, and I noticed a little detail that I hadn't noticed before.

Now I've also been building some furniture from recycled stuff. All very cute and I'm planning to put them all in together with some other knitted plastic bag objects of mine, but I'll have to rethink that now because......they want a registration fee of $80- per item.

So if I put in what I'm making and two other things, I'll be up for $240-!

If you'r a full time student with id they want $60-. I'm sure a lot of full time students can scrape that up no worries.

This is the Fringe Festival people. It's meant to be an alternative to the mainstream. I was considering asking one of my "clients" (I work with people with intellectual disabilities) if she wanted to put together some of her knitting and include it with mine. There's no way she could pay $80.

I'm just so pissed off.

And I don't mind paying, maybe $20 or something, but $80-. What are they gonna spend it on?
The venue is Melbourne Museum so it's not like they're renting the space, and even if they are, couldn't they come up with a better plane than this.


aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarr rrrrrrrrrrrrggggggg ggghhhhhhhhh

[neekie]

Holy crap that's pretty exorbitant, cost you more than it takes to make the exhibit itself!

[kakariki]

That's really crap.

Can you put all of your items together and count them as one?  (you could trick them and join them together with a bit of string.)

[kimski]

I know I was soooo mad.

I'm still considering putting my plastic bag masterpiece in. Because hey, I've only spent about 60 hrs on it so far and what's $80 on top of that. But I"ve got other stuff I've made that I wanted to put in too, and I can't justify paying $80 for two things.

The piece of string is a good idea.

I also considered dancing around outside draped in my master piece as a protest...

Back on topic..... What really pisses me off is the principle of the thing, even if I pay it, I want the Fringe Festival to be accessible to all the maveric outsider types. (I can't write anymore my brain is mush).

[kakariki]

Let's write them a letter telling them how crap they are.  Better yet, let's just write to the whole world.  My blog post is coming up soon...

[kimski]

yes I'm planning on complaining, to the fringe furniture co-ordinator, and the board. I've also had something to do with Arts Access, which is an organisation that helps "disadvantaged" people access the arts particularly people with disabilities (as far as I know). I thought I might contact them and see what they have to say. They might be able to lobby Fringe as well and/or give me pointers etc.  Gideon what's-his-name (Chunky Move) is on the board of Fringe and I've seen him at the Art's Access AGM so I guess that's a good thing.

Also, I'd like to find out if Fringe has a charter or something like that, cause if I can show that the price of "registration" goes against the charter, well that's going to work in my favour. I don't really know how to find this out though. Maybe call the office and say I'm doing a Uni assignment on charters/constitutions and community organisations. Or maybe I should be straight up. hmmmm (will google it too).

Anyway Fringe gets funding from Arts Council, State Govt. City of Melb, Vic Health, and god knows who else, so excluding people through prohibative fees when your recieving government $$$ is not on. They're locking out low income earners.

I might write to the Melbourne Times, John Fain(sp?) and The Age too.

Grrrr getting pissed off again.

I'm so over committed. Haven't taken car to mechanics, haven't done anything for Mullum Mullum Festival. Arrrgh.

I will get it done, just maybe not on the first day of my period.

 

[kakariki]

oh sis!

OK firstly breathe.  Secondly, fill a hot water bottle and swallow some codeine.

Thirdly, don't contact the media without calling me.  I know people

xox

[geek-pride]

You might consider putting topics like this to 3RRR radio station as well.

They are really into the arts and the underdog/fringe groups and love to discuss topics like this on their arts programs.
And they are pretty balanced in their discussions.

[kimski]

OK despite all my Ranting and shock over the cost of entering something into Fringe Furniture, I went ahead and put my plastic bag knitted curtain in. I had put a lot of time and creative juices into it.

So if anyone's interested they can go along and have a look. It's at the Museum. Tomorrow night (Thursday 27th Sept) is the Opening, and the exhibition goes until the 14th Oct.

I've posted about it on the knitting board.
Here's the link. The pic is a bit "I took this in the yard in a hurry" just so you know.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=198387.0

[ms.cate]

I saw it yesterday and I absolutely loved it! Just amazing!