Media release – Devonport Regional Gallery, 13 January 2025

Set sail with the tidal.24 festival this Saturday

With a free performance on the waves and airwaves, a huge artist panel talk, a participatory art encounter that has taken place around the world and more, this Saturday 18 January is the perfect day to enjoy the tidal.24 festival.

Set sail on the Tall Ship Julie Burgess with Sisters Akousmatica as they navigate ideas and explore maritime communication techniques through live broadcast.

Sisters Akousmatica are duo Phillipa Stafford and Julia Drouhin, self-declared radio queens promoting expanded radio projects and exploring the radical possibilities of transmission since 2016. They are currently working on fixing up a ‘Sea Hag’ boat for gatherings bringing together radio, art, sailing and thinking.

“The Mersey River and Julie Burgess inspired us to delve deeper into local human and land connections, both archival and contemporary,” Ms Stafford said.

While the free places on the ship are reserved for adults, families are encouraged to connect with the performance via portable radio.

“You can keep the radios as a Sea Hag gift – it will be fun to chase the ephemeral signal from the shore as the ship moves down the river” Ms Drouhin said.

Sisters Akousmatica will also be a part of talking tidal, a panel talk bringing together artists who connect with the theme of tidal in their own ways. The panel includes Artist in Residence Cheryl Rose, Dr Simon Spain and is chaired by Dr Tim Butcher.

Visual and socially engaged artist Dr Spain will also be running participatory creative encounter Self Assembly, inviting group members to represent themselves using fallen branches bound together with plaster bandages and supported by each other.

“Self Assembly has taken place all over the world, including the Tate modern and recently in South Korea,” Dr Spain said.

“As well as being exhibited at Devonport Regional Gallery in the week following the workshop, the assembly will be one of the first to inhabit a virtual online international installation,” Dr Spain said.

Devonport City Council’s Convention and Arts Centre Manager Felicity Duff recommends Saturday 18 January to people deciding when to come to the tidal.24 festival, or just looking for something to do on the weekend.

“Saturday is the perfect day to connect with art, the waterways and each other, and the talking tidal line-up is stacked with artists making innovative and culturally relevant art,” Ms Duff said.

“All of the works in the tidal.24 festival program connect us with each other and the waterways, however Waves on Waves is the only work to do so from the waterways themselves,” Ms Duff said.

The tidal.24 festival coincides with the biennial tidal City of Devonport Tasmanian Art Award at Devonport Regional Gallery.