Portable Worlds on the Road [PP]

I hold an image of bigger hands holding a fish bowl (nestled on my mobile phone screen). Behind the bowl, clouds roll over a dry outback – a shuddering bumpy backdrop for a road movie.

Portable Worlds workshop. Image by Sasha Grbich

The fish slosh around a bit, safe in their own space and unaware of the tenuousness of their tenure, or the thirst of the ground they travel over. Lisa Harm’s mobile film roadmove; holly and bob survey the (once) inland sea, is one of the eight projects showing with Portable Worlds in 07. These poetic little fish are travelling with Country Arts SA to regional centres in South Australia, to Tanks Art Centre in Queensland and recently had a spell in Paris at the International Pocket Film Festival.

Clamorous and intrusive, the mobile phone is proving to be a shrill little bombshell in creative practice and cultural fields; making new space for artists and causing disruption to presence, morals and ownership (to name but a few of the ideas scattered in it’s wake). The Pocket Film Festival eagerly encouraged such interruptions, showing cinema film shot on mobile phones, creative projects that use portable devices and presenting numerous forums. Amongst this amazing array, ANAT’s Portable Worlds sat comfortably.

Portable Worlds workshop. Image by Sasha Grbich

ANAT is now seeking works for the Portable Worlds second edition, to tour nationally in 08/09. If you have work that engages the mobile phone, jump on the Portable Worlds site (www.anat.org.au/portableworlds) and download the application form and guidelines. Successful works will be chosen by a panel of industry experts and judged on innovation and appropriateness for touring. Applications are due October 19^th, with only works completed by this date eligible for selection. For further information email [email protected]

Portable Worlds is showing at Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns QLD, in August and at the Walter Nicholls Memorial Gallery, Port Lincoln SA, in September.

• Author:Sasha Grbich
• Issue:Issue 65
• cc_content_license:Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Australia
• cc_content_license_uri:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/au/
• cc_content_license_img:http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/2.5/au/88x31.png
• Issue:Issue 65
• cc_content_license:Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Australia
• cc_content_license_uri:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/au/
• cc_content_license_img:http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/2.5/au/88x31.png