Meat Market

The debut feature film by Melbourne director Audrey Lam, Us and the Night is an unconventional love story for every book-loving introvert. Showing at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) .

Ten years in the making and shot on transcendent 16mm film, Us and the Night follows Umi and Xiao as their path’s cross night after night in their university library.

Through stacks of books a tale of curiosity and adventure unfolds, entirely within the one location. Director Audrey Lam plays with language, soundscapes and imagery, as her protagonists explore and discover the hidden worlds of the library.

Director's note:
‘I liked thinking about how a new language can be an invitation and a game; how reading steps us into the familiar and the unknown; and how libraries can be like fantastic, exhilarating adventures to the sea, into the universe, to anywhere else’.

Visit: https://miff.com.au/program/film/us-and-the-night to book.

Credits: Audrey Lam, Us and the Night, 2024, 67 minutes, directed by Audrey Lam.

Audrey has been nominated for MIFF Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award, which recognises an outstanding Australian creative within a film playing in the MIFF program.

[Alt text:

1. A close-up frame of a person with shoulder-length dark hair and a fringe. They are leaning off to an angle and reading a book. There are rows of books on a shelf stacked up behind them.
2. Two people are pictured in a corridor of bookshelves in a library. The same person with shoulder length hair and a fringe is sitting on the floor reading with their legs resting on one of the lower shelves. The other person is behind them standing on a step, facing the opposite side of the bookshelves reaching into the shelves.
3. Books are stacked messily on top of the library floor. The carpet is navy blue. The covers of the books are dark brown, cerulean blue, maroon, teal and black.
4. The same person with shoulder length dark hair and a fringe is leaning into the corridor between two bookshelves. They are looking out toward the front left of the camera. Their hair is falling across their face. The corridor behind them is empty].

Tonight, Friday July 26 & Bureau of Echoes are performing an ambient and electronic musical experience, within a stunning 150-year-old cathedral. Located at 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. Entry is free from 7:30PM.

[Alt text:

1. Press shot of Kaikobad: A person with short wavey brown hair is standing against a low brick wall with panes of orange glass windows on the top half. They are wearing a beige shirt and a stretchy headband and looking directly at the camera.
2. Promotional two-tone navy and light blue graphic with white text that reads: 'Celestial 3000 Kaikobad, George Ian Hewitt, Bureau of Echoes, Fri 26th July 19:30 - 21:30 Free Entry, 120 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000. St Michael's Uniting Church'
3. Press shot of George Ian Hewitt: a person with long blonde hair wearing a white cap with a black puffer jacket, standing in front of a white wall.

Book your babysitter next Friday 2 August and join for a night of Trivia at Meat Market

Whether you’re a master of general knowledge or just looking to have a good time, there will be activities for everyone - including a silent auction, games, food and drinks, and (of course) Trivia covering an array of different topics.

Book tickets here: https://ow.ly/YgqB50SILtv

Supported by City of Melbourne CUTHS grants.

[Alt text:
1. A small person wearing a red t-shirt and pink hat that are branded with 'Wimble Street Childcare Co-Op' is drawing with some textas on a blue tarp.
2. An olive-green graphic with large yellow text that says 'Trivia' and white text that says Wimble Street 2 August 2024].

Join Ethnology Dance Company for O R I G I N A R I O 2 0 2 4, an intercultural performance project rooted in ancestral cultural expressions across different generations of women. Coming to Meat Market Stables Saturday 17 August.

Igniting reflection and dialogue among the audience, ORIGINARIO is a ritualistic and multisensory dance installation featuring seven dancers embarking on a spacial journey through embroidery, sculpture, projections, vocals and lighting.

Created by artistic Director and Choreographer Kathleen Gonzalez Villamizar in collaboration with Patricia Peña, Gabriela Isabel Gonzalez, MestizxLab and Sarah de la Cerda.

Tickets are available here: https://events.humanitix.com/originario-ethnodanceology-art-event

Supported by Meat Market and the City of Melbourne.

[Alt text:
1. A person with dark hair and silver makeup on their face is being embraced by a group of people who are standing behind them. The group of people have their hands across the persons upper chest in a soft and nurturing way. The person being embraced has their eyes closed.
2. A group of people wearing white short sleeved dresses stand in a close circle with their arms and hands spread into the middle. They are holding a piece of fabric wound into a rope and have various tattoos on the inside of their arms. The floor beneath them is also woven from fabric].

Some colourful outtakes snapped by from ‘One of These Things First’, the inaugural performance by experimental theatre group at Kensington Town Hall earlier this month!

There will be many more shows like this one to come. Follow for https://ow.ly/B8cI50SB9Nv on Instagram future updates.

[Alt text:
1. Three performers (one with shaved hair and two with long hair) are acting in a room illuminated with purple light. The person on the left is holding a microphone and has their other arm in the air in motion. The person in the back centred has both arms raised and is seated in front of a musical instrument. The person on the right is wearing a princess dress, face paint and is looking off to the front smiling.
2. The same three people are standing in height order looking into the camera. The tallest person on the left has shaved hair and is wearing a singlet that says, 'just do it', the middle person is wearing a white top with red text and the person on the far right is wearing the same princess outfit.
3. A close up shot of some props strewn about a room with a wooden floor, including a furry horse head, plastic leaves and glitter].

Join Object Merchant for their ‘Grand Annual Object Merchant pop-up, featuring a long list of artists and designers.

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To celebrate a year of Object Merchant, Meat Market Cobblestone Pavilion will be filled with objects of wonder for three days only, from 9-11 August.

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Opening Night Ball:

Friday 9th of August 5pm till 10pm featuring performance, live music and much more.

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Market Days:

Saturday August 10, 11am – 5pm

Sunday August 11, 11am – 5pm

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Poster design by .rrell

[Alt text: A black graphic with grey stylised text that reads 'Object Merchant 60+ Australian Artists, Designers & Makers. Opening Night 9 August 5pm-10pm, Market Days 11am-5pm 10-11 August. Meat Market Cobblestone Pavilion 3 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne 3051'].

Opening tonight at Kensington Town Hall One of These Things First - a debut performance by Big Hot Lunch a newly formed experimental theatre group – is a messy magical, chaotic show that’s going to be LOADs of fun!

Tickets are still available to purchase here: https://ow.ly/WbPE50Szjjo (but selling fast).

For those coming along – please note that there will be gentle flashing lights (not strobes), fog machines, adult themes and coarse language, and low-pressure audience participation involved.

Kensington Town Hall is wheelchair accessible, and there will be a bar.

So Frenchy So Chic Bastille Day Soirée returns to Meat Market Saturday July 20.

In celebration of La Fête Nationale, So Frenchy So Chic DJs will take a musical journey through France’s most iconic dance-floor music from the last 40 years.

Discover the best of French pop, disco, house and more.

Tickets available here: https://ow.ly/TvOK50Sm5Ji

[Alt text:
1. Blurry blue and red image of a crowd of people on a dancefloor.

2. A blurry image of a person with long blonde hair and a checkered dress dancing in an illuminated dance floor.

3. A cluster of disco balls hung from the ceiling illuminated in blue and pink light].

'Material Poetics of Migration: (re)Imagining a threshold ritual of Tamil women' is a solo exhibition by Varuni Kanagasundaram, exploring traditional and material practices (re)imagined as contemporary art works.

Coming to Meat Market Stables August 20-25, the exhibition will feature an installation of clay and textile artworks created with communities of women from the Tamil diaspora in Australia and overseas.

[Alt text:

1. (left) A dark brown ceramic object with white and red flecks, (right) and a cloth piece with red pigment, photographed on white background.

2. An installation shot of a fabric work that drapes from the ceiling to the floor. There are two other works in the background: (left) blue objects, (right) three salmon and white coloured ceramic works placed upright in a vitrine.

3. Detail shot of a textile/ ceramic work with a red strip of fabric through the centre and loose red and black strings down the bottom.

4. Detail shot of another textile work with layers of orange fabric on top of an intricate blue pattern design.

More colourful outtakes from 80s and 90s archive. Their 50th Birthday exhibition, The Collective, opens Friday July 5 at Meat Market Stables.

Join us to celebrate 50 years of incredible advocacy and projects, alongside a presentation of new works by Deaf and Disabled artists who have responding to the Arts Access Victoria archives.

Entry is free. RSVP to the opening here: https://ow.ly/V2uZ50Sm5pt

Image credits: 1-3. Crafty creations made by the people of Larundel Hospital, 1985. Courtesy Arts Access Victoria.

[Alt text:
1. Two young people in gold mask costumes. They are standing in front of a colourful wall of paint and streamers. From AAV's Art Party, 1989.

2. A person wearing an umbrella-like head piece with long white fake hair underneath. They are with other people at AAV's 1989 Art Party.

3. Someone bending down with a big present/streamer head piece. There is a green field off in the distance behind them].

Join Arts Access Victoria as they celebrate turning 50 with The Collective, an archival exhibition surveying their past and present legacy!

Open in Meat Market Stables, 5-27 July their program will also encompass a series of events, including an opening celebration on evening of the 5th.

Follow artsaccess.com.au for more updates.

Images Courtesy Arts Access Victoria

Credits:
1. Theatre for Older People, Arts Access Victoria, 1988

2. Minister Race Matthews cutting the ribbon to open AAV's new ramp, 1986.

4. Community arts project in the Mansfield region with Western Theatre to bring the community together after Ash Wednesday. 1985

5. Puppets and set design of Kids on the Block program, 1983.

6. 'Taste of Crime' theatre backdrop. ‘Taste of Crime’ was a performance piece written and performed in 1989 by the women of Fairlea Prison. The 90-minute show contained songs and stories written by the women.

[Alt text:
1. Black and white image of two people wearing 'witch noses' and floral dresses attending a concert. They are seated close up and illuminated by the cameras flash, there are other seats and people in the background behind them.

2. The front of a white building that says 'Arts Access' in pink and red writing. Three people are standing in the doorway of the building and cutting a ribbon. There are other people standing in the foreground watching them.

3. Four people are standing below, and operating, a huge puppet. The puppet has big pointy eyeballs and a wide mouth with jagged teeth. The image is black and white.

4. Another puppet, a giant head with shaved hair, bulbous features and a frown, is pictured with people walking around it in a parade.

5. Image of a set design with painted hanging canvases. One of the canvases has painted bricks, a road and other symbols. The other has a barred window and sun rays].

Some special moments - and an absolutely incredible transformation of our Stables - from The Last Train to Madeliene by Callum McKay. Now in its final week of showing!

There are a few more sessions to catch before closing on June 29.

Find more details and book tickets here: https://ow.ly/bkKy50Sm5ul?

[Alt text:
1. A detailed set design with a circular ramp installed around the periphery. There are vines, train tracks an illuminated TV and an assortment of other props. Two actors are seated in the centre about to kiss, they are backlit behind and sheet.
2. On the same set, a person with long hair is illuminated in blue lights. They are standing in the centre wearing a plaid dress with a jumper looking up to the sky.

Festa Junina 2024 opens July 6 at Meat Market Cobblestone Pavilion.

Join Brazilian community organisation Abrisa for family friendly entertainment, including food, live music and traditional Quadrilha dance.

Tickets available here: https://ow.ly/UYIc50Sm5pB

Supported by the City of Melbourne.

[Alt text: a big hall is full of people dancing in rows with their arms linked together creating a long-arched arm tunnel. People are smiling and laughing. There are colourful flags in red, pink, yellow, blue and green hung from the ceiling.

Opening this weekend Annabelle Ford Choreography will present Blucid, a lyrical and contemporary dance performance, at Meat Market Cobblestone Pavilion, 22-23 June.

Act 1, titled 'Blue', and Act 2 titled 'Lucid' merge to form Blucid, a bespoke showcase that was produced in collaboration with choreographers, Annabelle Ford, Sian Kelly, Skylar Delphinus, Allie Catrucco, and associated emerging dancers, who each bring their own distinct style and perspective to the stage.

Join them as they highlight and celebrate the individuality and talents of our young dancers.

Tickets available at trybooking.com/events/landing/1231862?

Open this week at Meat Market Stables, 'The Last Train to Madeline', is a new Australian play by Callum Mackay, showing 18-29 of June.

Join characters Maddy (Ruby Maishman ) and Luke (Eddie Orton ), as they escape small town Wangaratta and journey to Melbourne to find Maddy’s famous rock star father.

‘The Last Train to Madeline’ explores the nostalgias of first love, complexities of friendship and the sadness of letting go.

View session times and book tickets here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1215169?

Image by Jordan Blanch
Written by Callum Mackay
Presented by
Directed by Hayden Tonazzi
Starring Ruby Maishman and Eddie Orton

[Alt text:
1. A person lays with their back to the sky in a field, propped up by their elbows. They have long hair and big eyes. They are staring into an illuminated television screen that is facing toward them, playing static. It is nighttime and there are shadowy trees in the background behind them.
2. Two people sit in a field, with their backs to an illuminated TV the sky in a field. It is nighttime and there are shadowy trees in the background behind them. The person on the left has short hair and is looking off to the side. The person with long hair is looking forward].

Scenes from festival of ideas last month - such a wonderful activation of Meat Market Cobblestones.

[Alt text:

1. People leaning over a table with topped with a big map of North Melbourne. The people on the left are pointing and looking down at the map. The people on the right are watching what they are doing. Behind them is a temporary exhibition structure with hung artworks.

2. Two people are standing with their backs toward the camera reading a sign that has white text on a black background. One has long hair, and one has short hair. They are standing in front of the same exhibition structure.

3. Two people with long hair are pictured in a tight frame with their fingers pointing toward a map of North Melbourne that's set up on top of a table. They are both wearing glasses and black clothing.

4. Someone with short hair and wearing a navy top is standing on stage speaking behind a lectern. There are three blue velvet couches on the stage and two screens displaying a blue and black image. A crowd of people seated in front of the stage is in the foreground.

5. Two people with short hair are standing looking down at the map which is out of frame. The exhibition structure is behind them and is brightly lit from above.

6. Three people are sitting on the stage on the blue velvet couches. The person furthest to the left is wearing a suit and is speaking into a microphone. The person in the middle is wearing a beanie and jeans and the person on the right is wearing a green coat and dark pants - they are both looking at the person speaking.

Work with us!

We are delighted to announce that we are now accepting applications for three opportunities to join the City of Melbourne Creative City team.

The Senior Technician, Communications Coordinator & Presenter Services Coordinator present a unique opportunity to be part of establishing a new venue, with work split across our newly acquired Kensington Town Hall, and Meat Market venue.

About the roles:

Senior Technician

https://ow.ly/lT9F50Sbpjf

Kensington Town Hall and Meat Market are seeking a dynamic Senior Technician to oversee event delivery and operational management across both venues. This role ensures the efficient, safe, and effective use of the venues, adhering to specific operational standards and lease terms. Facilitating smooth event ex*****on and optimal venue operations, delivering a consistent and high-quality experience for all stakeholders.

Communications Coordinator

https://ow.ly/7w0N50Sbpje

Dedicating three days per week across both venues our Communications Coordinator will deliver comprehensive communications and marketing efforts aimed at increasing public interest and engagement for events at both sites. With a strong awareness of Melbourne’s arts sector and a collaborative team approach, you will plan and execute promotional strategies, leveraging digital communication tools and protocols.

Presenter Services Coordinator

https://ow.ly/VTqy50Sbpjg

Presenter Services Coordinator will manage bookings, facilitate events, and embody the welcoming presence that Kensington Town Hall is known for. Your efforts will contribute to the Town Hall's mission of serving as a cultural hub for the arts within our municipality, adhering to Council policies, and fostering a strong sense of community engagement.

Find out more and apply via the links.

Apply now for the chance to make one of these wonderful roles your own.

[Alt text:
1. The front facade of a sandstone building with arched windows and ornate finishings. Two people are walking together in front of the building on the sidewalk. The Sky is blue and there are many green trees around.

2. The inside of a big pavilion with cobblestone floors and technical rigging set up. The ceiling is lit with rainbow lights.

Applications are now open for the City of Melbourne 2025 Annual Arts Grants. Artists and organisations can apply for up to $20,000 in funding for one-off arts projects that result in a public outcome either online or within Melbourne municipality. Apply by 23 June.

Visit https://ow.ly/cv6O50RTHCG for more information.

Image credit: The Platform Emerging Artists Take Over by Grace McQuilten. Image by Keelan O’Hehir

[Alt text: a person wearing a yellow head wrap and white blouse is dancing outdoors with their hands raised in the air pointing toward the sky].

Celebrate Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures at Mabo Day Concert, a free community music event at Meat Market this Saturday June 1.

Curated by Meriam Yidinji Dutch creative, Lisa Maza, the event will feature headliner Mau Power, a rap, hip-hop, and spoken word artist. Performances by Mui Mui Bumer Gedlam 'Deep Sounds from Home', singer-songwriter John Wayne Parsons, Candice Lorrae of The Merindas. And a presentation by writer, activist and lawyer, Dr. Bryan Keon-Cohen AM QC, about Native Title and the ground-breaking Mabo case.

Mabo Day commemorates Meriam man, Eddie Koiki Mabo, and his successful efforts to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullius, or ‘land belonging to no-one’.

Visit https://ow.ly/TlA850RTI4C? to book free tickets.

[Alt text:
1. A person with long hair is playing guitar and singing on stage. There is a kaleidoscope effect over the image.
2. A performer is singing on a stage illuminated with bright blue light. They are wearing a feathered head piece, a white shirt and vest and have their hands in the air.
3. Head and shoulders image of performer Mau Power. They have shaved hair and are wearing a dark jacket.
4. Two people are seated on sand performing a traditional dance. The person on the left is wearing woven jewellery and a dark tank top with a design printed in red, and a straw skirt. The person on the right is wearing a white flower necklace a red patterned top and a pink patterned skirt. Their hair is tied back, and they are holding a wooden instrument.

We are excited to announce that Kensington Town Hall is now managed by Creative City team!

A true community asset, cherished by many individuals and groups, Kensington Town Hall will continue to be a place for gatherings and civic events.

The transition aligns with our commitment to the facilitating affordable creative and community spaces.
And we are delighted to collaborate with the surrounding community to create a vibrant, dynamic, and inclusive space for Kensington throughout this transition and ongoing. While enriching the location's offering to include the performance, theatre, arts and culture so beloved within the city.

[Alt text:
1. A film style picture of the front of Kensington Town Hall shows the front of the building with a sandstone facade, arched windows and canopies. The facade is decorated with eaves and cornices. The rear of the building is red brick with white horizontal stripes in three sections and has arched windows across along its length.

2. A long brightly lit hall has arched windows along the top left wall and six-light chandeliers across the roof. There are ornate trimmings and finishes throughout the walls and roof. The floors are polished, dark wood.
At the back of the room there is a stage with a projector screen. There are black doors in various sizes throughout the room.

3. Square backed black chairs are arranged around a long rectangle table, filling a long meeting room with grey carpets and white walls. To the left there a large window facing out with a plant in front of it. Along the back wall there are wooden placards with records listed in gold text.

4. Another long hall has large windows that span 3/4 of the left wall. The room is brightly lit and has light-wood polished floors and heaters are installed below the large windows. The roof is covered in rectangular white panels.

5. Red chairs with square backs are arranged around another white rectangular table in a room with grey carpets and white walls. There is a TV screen, a monitor and a whiteboard along the two back walls.

IRREGULAR is opening tomorrow at Meat Market Cobblestone Pavilion!

Join City Architect, Rob Adams, and Regional Director of Southern States for Housing Australia, Jane Homewood, in conversation with Assemble Papers' Andy Fergus, about the lives and work of influential community activists Ruth and Maurie Crow.

On display from 23-25 of May, IRREGULAR will present an 'exhibition of ideas' put together using the collaborative efforts of the local North and West Melbourne community members.

This event is part of the NGV Melbourne Design Week program and theme Design the World You Want: Ecology, Ethics, and Energy.

Tickets available here: https://ow.ly/aY8Y50RJ7Vz

[Alt text: A 3D render image of Meat Market Cobble Stone Pavilion, with people standing throughout the room in front of and within a temporary wooden exhibition structure.]

Vibrant scenes from workshops and collaborations happening around town.

Wild at Heart are a Meat Market Licensee, and creative community of songwriters, singers, musicians and performers who host creative and skill-based workshops and programs led by artists and contributors with lived experience of disability.

Visit wildatheart.org.au for more details.

Image credits:
1.
2.
3.

[Alt text:
1. A person with long hair is dancing in the middle of a circle of other people who are standing behind them. They are wearing sunglasses, and they are all wearing matching t-shirts. The people in the background are smiling and moving to the music too.
2. A person with short hair, wearing a red long sleeve top with a black collar, is holding a microphone and performing on stage. The photo is taken through the crowd, and the performer is framed by the out of focus audience and green lights. They are looking down toward the mic.
3. Seated in front of a black piano, a person with shoulder length purple hair is playing music and singing into a microphone. There are lamps and red curtains in the background. They are looking down toward the keyboard as they play.]

Have you visited the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) pop-up in the Meat Market Stables yet?

Their bigger and brighter temporary studio and community lounge is the perfect hang out for all the synth lovers out there.

Drop by Wed-Sun for public sessions 1-5pm and members only sessions 6-10pm

Visit mess.foundation for more information.

[Alt text:
1. Two people sit around a wooden table working on their computers. A third person is standing next to them on the left. They are in a large warehouse room with high ceilings and a large arched window. Below the window on the right hand side there is a long black shelf stacked with electronic synthesisers, accessories and cords. The floors are dark painted concrete.]
2. In the middle of another room of the same warehouse there is a lounge set up. There is a blush pink 2-piece modular in the centre and two single navy blue corner pieces on either side. The furniture is arranged around a patterned red, navy and beige rug and there are plants, a bookshelf and stacks of books interspersed.
3. Back in the first room the two people working at the large wooden desk are pictured again. There is a large electronic synthesizer keyboard in the forground of the image and the same big shelf (this time along the left hand side) with lots of stacked devices.]

Breathtaking stills from STAUNCH ASF a contemporary dance performance, by Gamilaroi Yinarr artist Amelia Jean O’Leary, held at Meat Market during last year's Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Photo by Gregory Lorenzutti
Choreographer & Performer: Amelia Jean O’Leary
Production & Stage Manager: Georgie Bright
Lighting Designer: Giovanna Yate Gonzalez
Set & Costume Designer: Savanna Wegman

[Alt text:
1. An illuminated figure with long hair is standing in darkness wearing a grey lace dress that drapes over their shoulders and waist. Theirs arms are outstretched, and they are looking up with a curious expression.
2. The same person with long hair stands on a dark stage holding a bunch of woven grass reeds in their outstretched right arm. Their stance is powerful. There is fabric draped behind them and across the floor.
3. Illuminated a rusty orange hue, the same person is lunging forward with arms outstretched. They are wearing the same lace dress that drapes across their neck. There is woven fabric draped from ceiling to floor behind them.
4. The same person is framed by woven curtains of fabric. They are at the back of a dark stage, in a low lunge position with their left arm outstretched].