“I feel that it is important to document the unique characteristics of Townsville’s older suburbs before there is nothing left to record “. This heartfelt sentiment underpins the exhibition Is Now and Will Never Be Again, by Jan Hynes at Umbrella Studio.
Jan Hynes’ comfortable techniques energise the Main Space with paintings and quirky letterbox instillations. This notable Queensland artist recorded changes to the unique characteristics of Townsville’s older suburbs, capturing in paintings and 3-D works the transformations taking place in our community. The artist reveals her fear, “change is taking place very rapidly and soon there will be no visual documentation of our urban past”.
Jan Hynes infuses her sharp wit and cynical humour together with surrealism and naive elements to demonstrate the irony of progress. “Living in Railway Estate, I am aware of the transformation taking place around me. The suburb is changing from individual miners cottages made of weatherboard and corrugated iron, to concrete units. Along with these changes is the loss of individuality and the eclectic nature of the home’s accessories.” Changes are particularly evident in the letterbox, very often an object designed and crafted by the handyman of the home. Jan incorporates the letterbox as the feature for the installation component of the exhibition.
Poms from Oz are the Pomeroy family trio of vocalists Judy, Alan and daughter Kathleen. Their tight harmony and vocal strength bring a fresh feel to original, contemporary and traditional works, uncovering a rich tapestry of songs gathered in their travels from around the world. Most songs are a cappella but sometimes accompanied by guitar and/or harmonica. Moods in their songs range from downright sad to real tear jerkers and audience participation is encouraged. Their sound is distinctive, as Judy arranges all the songs specifically for their voices. You can listen to samples of recordings by the Poms from Oz at http://musiccentrenq.net/Poms_from_Oz/audio.php
Exhibition opens 7pm Friday night, 4 June and runs through 11 July. |
