MOTION
Do you want to make art that moves people?
VicHealth’s MOTION program focuses on creative community interventions which increase physical activity and social connection.
MOTION is all about improving people’s health by giving them opportunities to get creative, physically active and involved in their local community through the arts. Grants up to $70,000 available for projects of 15 months’ duration (commencing April 2013).
Applications to the MOTION 2013-14 funding round closed on Thursday 21 February. Applicants will be advised of assessment outcomes by the end of March
View the presentation from the MOTION grant round briefing held on the 13th of December 2012 at VicHealth.
Across 2011-2012 VicHealth funded seven projects to demonstrate the health benefits of actively participating in the arts. Parallel to running the pilot program, we also sought to address the gaps in evidence, measurement and evaluation through a partnership with the Centre for Cultural Partnerships at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. Changes from the original MOTION have been determined by our increased understanding of the program’s potential.
MOTION will now have a stronger focus on strategic partnerships and creating models of arts practice that can be replicated and sustained into the future.
MOTION Projects 2011-12
The Giant Theremin
City of Melbourne
What type of instrument brings people together to make new sounds and music, while being physically active and having lots of fun?
The answer is the Giant Theremin, a super-sized instrument controlled by movement rather than conventional touch. The theremin’s distinctive warble accompanied an array of distinctive sounds which made it impossible to resist running, dancing, jumping and forming unusual shapes in the activation zone to create a symphony of movement.
The Giant Theremin experience was free and the installation was located at Les Erdi Plaza in the City of Melbourne’s Northbank precinct across the Summer/Spring period of 2011/12.
Learn more about the Giant Theremin at www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/gianttheremin
Tangle
Polyglot Theatre
Weaving a giant elastic web at Tangle
Imagine a giant structure made from 10 kilometres of brightly coloured elastic woven around six-metre poles, then add music, excited children, creative movement and lots of chaotic fun and you have the Tangle.
Polyglot Theatre has created an interactive outdoor play-space where children and families use the physical action of weaving elastic with their whole bodies to build a massive, touchable artwork. The web is built over the course of a weekend, facilitated by artists and fuelled by live music to encourage physical movement, artistic decision-making, imaginative play and dramatic interaction.
As part of VicHealth’s MOTION program, Tangle visited Melbourne’s CBD, Shepparton and Latrobe Council areas during 2012, following a display at the Arts Centre in Melbourne in January. Polyglot Theatre teamed up with Berry Street and Playgroups Victoria to design and run engagement activities for playgroup children prior to the creation of the installation. These activities provided fun and easy ways for caregivers and the community to build nurturing relationships with their children through active and creative play.
To find out how to get you and your kids Tangle visit www.polyglottheatre.com/tangle
Dance with Me
Latrobe City Council
Dance with me brought locals right across the Latrobe Valley together to try a new way of getting up and moving.
A choreographer developed a short and easy dance routine, the ‘Krackarena’, that represented the diversity, pride and aspirations of the community. The routine was taught to lead dancers and community groups, who then danced in surprise performances in public places. Dance workshops and performances were filmed, and locals encouraged to get together and film themselves doing the routine.
The collection of films was projected on public buildings across the Valley, mirroring an active, united and positive community. The projections were launched at the Creative Gippsland May Arts Festival 2012, where real time dancing was also part of the program. Dance with me added to the cultural richness of the Valley and encouraged physical activity in an innovative and entertaining way.
52 Flashmobs in 52 Weeks
Nillumbik Shire Council
Local residents in and around Nillumbik took part in a series of ‘spontaneous’ community events that offered creative and fun ways to get physically active without necessarily involving a ball or the gym. With everything from unexpected dance routines, a car washing mob and gardening gangs, there was something for people of all ages, interests and abilities.
52 Flashmobs in 52 Weeks promoted messages around healthy living and healthy communities to both participants and spectators around four themes: action, sound, word and space. A tech-savvy group of local young people promoted the flash mobs through a social media project that reinforced the health messages.
Nillumbik Shire Council built partnerships across the municipality and surrounding areas to ensure the project provided opportunities for local groups and organisations to get new people involved in their activities.
To find out more about Nillumbik’s flashmob adventures visit www.52flashmobs.com
Crowd Play
Melbourne Fringe Festival
Making a song and dance with crowdplay
Crowd Play brought together large group of people, from diverse backgrounds to actively participate in an inclusive, dance and song performance.
As one of VicHealth’s MOTION projects and a key feature of the 2011 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Crowd Play promoted the benefits of participatory arts in a healthy lifestyle.
With rehearsals taking place in offices, community halls, pubs, clubs and bedrooms around Australia, Crowd Play culminated in three public performances in public sites around Melbourne. The energizing, captivating and inspiring performances got toes tapping and hips wiggling.
To get involved and find out when the next rehearsal is taking place visit www.melbournefringe.com.au/crowdplay
Roll Up
The Squeaky Wheel
Cyclists Roll up for valet service
Roll Up is a VIP bike valet service providing cyclists with free, secure and convenient parking when attending festivals and events. As one of the VicHealth MOTION projects, Roll Up demonstrated how you can live a physically healthy lifestyle, even when taking in a gig, performance or exhibition.
A fully outsourced mobile service, Roll Up is available for hire by businesses, councils and community groups. The service is ideal for event coordinators who are looking to target a cultural and socially conscious market. It also offers excellent sustainability solutions to public events.
Roll Up is an initiative of The Squeaky Wheel, a Melbourne based organisation committed to promoting cycling as part of the everyday Australian lifestyle. After initially being available at a range of cultural and community events across Victoria during 2011 and 2012 as part of MOTION Roll Up continues to promote active transport into the future.
Visit www.roll-up.com.au for more information.
Atelier Edens
APHIDS
In partnership with Parks Victoria, Aphids developed Fever Beach as an adjunct to the already successful My Parx smart phone application (or app). Fever Beach uses GPS technology, cinematic chapters and an original sound score to enliven interactions between visitors and the landscape of Point Nepean National Park.
Engagement with users of both regional and metropolitan parklands informed the creation of this digital art experience for hand held devices. As users roam through digital hotspots within the park they can trigger a series of wild, unexpected adventures, heightening their experience of the wilderness they are moving through. The project created templates for the creation of new artworks in other key parks as these sites further develop their capacity and infrastructure.
More information at Aphids’ website www.aphids.net/projects/Fever_Beach