Artbox’s Shopfront Takeovers at the Jam Factory include dance, projection, colourful creatures, and a touch of disco fever and will be showing at The Jam Factory on Chapel Street from September to October 2022. By integrating art with the built environment, these activations aim to inspire and brighten your day with meaningful and playful art, while providing a fresh perspective on how we see familiar places.
Three Takeovers Not To Miss
- Ghost Jam is an installation celebrating family restaurant memories by artist MO.
- Facing the street, Friday Night Fever by glamorous local art duo The Huxleys riff on Chapel Street’s infamous nightlife.
- Jonathan Sinatra occupies a shopfront next to Soda Rock, with an evolving mix of video and live iterations of his epic The Daily Dance Project.
Artbox Takeovers
Artbox Takeovers are one of many exciting outcomes from art startup Artbox, an artist-led company committed to supporting meaningful, diverse and well-paid artists that activate spaces. In partnership with the City of Stonnington, we are bringing these empty retail spaces to life with art – injecting a sense of joy and play that reflects the dynamic community and character of the precinct.
The City of Stonnington's Economic Development Strategy defines key actions to enhance and reactivate commercial precincts, such as iconic Chapel Street and other well-known public spaces. This includes exploring avenues to takeover vacant shopfronts and bring them to life temporarily.
With the support of the Victorian Government through the Metropolitan Development and Partnership Fund Program, the City of Stonnington is proud to partner with Newmark Capital and Artbox, to deliver this exciting and creative shopfront takeover for eight weeks over September and October 2022.
Our Artists
Jonathan Sinatra
Jonathan Sinatra is an artist, dancer and educator based in Melbourne, Naarm. Jonathan has over 25 years of professional experience in dance making, teaching, and photography. Jonathan has been a significant contributor, teacher and facilitator to the Australian and International Contact Improvisation community since 1993. Some of his achievements as a dancer include: Principal dancer with Australian choreographer Russell Dumas of Dance Exchange (2001-present); performing with French choreographer Xavier Leroy in 13 Rooms (Sydney 2012); Melbourne International Arts Festival with Becky Hilton (2010), and with Eléonore Didier (2014); European Contact Improvisation Teachers Exchange (2010-2012). He teaches in Contemporary Dance at Victorian College of the Arts (since 2020) and is a Teaching Artist for the ArtLife dance program for people of mixed ability at Footscray Community Arts Centre (since 2010).
The Huxleys
Will and Garrett Huxley are Melbourne-based collaborative performance and visual artists. The Huxleys are a dynamic duo of cataclysmic proportions who present camp commentary and spectacle across visual art, performance and entertainment. Their photography and performance art traverses the classifications of costume, film and recording. A visual assault of sparkle, surrealism and the absurd, The Huxleys saturate their practice and projects with a glamorous, androgynous freedom which sets out to bring some escapism and magic to everyday life.
Since 2014 The Huxleys have performed, exhibited and participated in numerous exhibitions, projects and events in Australia, and internationally in London, Berlin, Moscow and Hong Kong. Solo presentations, performances and commissions include the Melbourne International Arts Festival; Melbourne Fashion Week; Sydney Contemporary; Hong Kong Design Week; Heide Museum of Modern Art; Art Bank, Melbourne; NGV; AGNSW; QAGOMA; AGSA; AGWA and the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra; The Huxleys first came to prominence during the early years of MONA FOMA and Dark Mofo in Tasmania.
MO
After graduating from RMIT in 2001 with honours in Media Arts (photography), MO embarked on a 13-year career in fashion as a buyer and designer. In 2014 a chance encounter with the work of David McDiarmid led her to start experimenting with collage and vinyl. The success of her 2015 solo show Cry In The Night encouraged her to focus on her art practice full time and she started exhibiting under the professional name of MO. Since then, MO has exhibited in a number of solo and group shows in Melbourne and London. Her practice has proved very versatile in a range of applications from one-off works on paper, to limited edition clothing, shop windows and installations.
Project Partners
This project is being delivered by Artbox for the City of Stonnington in partnership with the Victorian Government and the Inner South-east Metropolitan Partnership, with the assistance of Newmark Capital.
Work with Artbox
Looking for a project partner to deliver meaningful outcomes to invigorate Places and activate spaces?
Interested in being a commissioned artist for future projects?
Reach out at hello@artbox.io
We would love to hear from you and continue to connect our wide network of partners and practitioners.
ARTBOX acknowledges the traditional custodians of Australia and we recognise their connections to land, sea and community. We recognise the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation on whose lands we live, work and play. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples today.
ARTBOX is a proud member of the Arts Law Centre of Australia. We believe in equity and fairness, and are committed to protecting the moral and intellectual rights of our collaborators.
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