Curators

Lisa Campbell-Smith

Kristi Monfries

Joel Stern

Artists

Richie Cyngler

Julia Drouhin

Dylan Sheridan

Pip Stafford

Friday 15 – Sunday 17 January 2021, 12pm – 4pm

MONA FOMA

Object Gallery QVMAG, Launceston

Founded in 2013 by curators Kristi Monfries and Joel Stern, the Instrument Builders Project (IBP) is an ongoing platform for artistic collaboration and experimentation between Australian and Asia Pacific artists working at the intersection of contemporary art, sound and performance.

IBP uses a cross-disciplinary and socially engaged approach, each iteration is different and unique. The methodology is simple; artists from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds work in a shared studio environment to create new sounds, processes, situations and objects which are collaboratively conceived, designed and constructed, and then presented and performed at the finale of the project.

IBP has been staged four times; twice in Indonesia at iCAN Yogyakarta in 2013 & 2014, in Australia at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2014 and Japan at the Kyoto Art Centre in 2018, generating surprising and profoundly rewarding outcomes for the participating artists, local communities, and broader audience.

IBP5 will be a platform for new collaborations by Tasmanian artists Richie Cyngler, Julia Drouhin, Dylan Sheridan and Pip Stafford. Undertaking a residency at the University of Tasmania, School of Architecture & Design, the four will present the results as part of a performative installation at Mona Foma, Launceston 2021.

IBP5 has worked closely with artists from Indonesia; Misbach Bilok, Wukir Suryadi, Natasha Tontey, and Japan; Tomoko Momiyama and Yuya Tsukahara throughout this year. We want to acknowledge their contribution and commitment to IBP, and reaffirm our plans to support them in the future.

IBP5 is curated by Kristi Monfries, Joel Stern and Lisa Campbell-Smith presented by Contemporary Art Tasmania in partnership with Melbourne-based sonic art organisation Liquid Architecture, and Australasian curatorial platform Volcanic Winds. Following the MONA FOMA showcase, IBP will continue to research, experiment, and present fieldwork, talks and writing through international collaborations and micro projects in 2021.

IBP5 is supported by Regional Arts Fund Australia, Asialink Arts and the University of Tasmania, School of Architecture & Design.