SUB

A NOTE

what can living in the earth reveal to us about our lives on the earth?

SUB is a world of safety. SUB is a world with no edges. SUB is all the things on the periphery. How many timescales exist in the world? We might be gone but this will still remain, suspended between previous and next, the not-yet.

SUB began three years ago with a residency at Red Hot Arts Central Australia, a solo residency dotted with initial conversations with Pierce Eldridge (a spectacular curator, writer, thinker and friend) around questions of preparing for a volatile future, and what choices we might make if we were to plan to live underground. Three years later and we’ve traversed volcanoes, seed banks, deep ocean/deep space, geology/strata, interlacing, ecological time vs human time, grief, regeneration, caves, tunnels, care, mountains, summits and mines. The team has grown to a collaborative process counting on 17 incredible artists, working alongside a complex web of junk-like objects. And now, premiering this work in Mparntwe - where it all began - feels like a precious moment to look back along the vast, complex web of people and places who have contributed to SUB.

It’s difficult to express the gratitude I have for this team of collaborating artists who have brought their entire selves, minds and bodies, an exceptional sense of adventure and fun; an openness to wander and wonder, a desire to dig deeper, to question, to contradict and to do it all with love, care and kindness. Throughout the process our creative and personal relationships have become strong and lasting bonds. It is an immense privilege to be surrounded and uplifted by these brave, exceptional and endlessly creative artists.

SUB has been deeply affected by the landscapes of its creation - from the Yeperenye of Mparntwe to the wet caves of the West Coast of lutruwita, to the oceans of the Kombumerri and Yugambeh language regions. Hugely impactful to the work was our research residency with The Unconformity Festival in Queenstown - thank you to Travis, Maddie, Helena and Carl for connecting us with so many wonderful locals whose thoughts and experiences are deeply woven into the work. To Joy and Anthony at RoamWild for their generous knowledge and deep commitment to sharing the natural and human history of the West Coast and to local person Frank for an honest and mind-opening conversation into your experiences in the mines. Big love and gratitude to Adam, Emma and the Tasdance team for standing alongside us and believing in regional practice and the potential of this work.

Finally, to the founders and heartbeats of GUTS Dance - Frankie, your energy, determination and perseverance to not give up despite the many challenges to creating art is ever-inspiring. Maddy, your soft defiance, positivity and grounding presence both inside and outside the room is so precious to me.

To audiences, I hope you soften into SUB.

- Ashleigh Musk, lead artist, SUB.