Wednesday 14 August - Sunday 18 August 6:30pm
Coiling
Baylee Griffin & Jenn Ma
Clay and flesh spiral as one in this experimental performance where the tangible and ephemeral intertwine.
Coiling is an intimate meditative experience delving into the parallel cycles of the human and clay bodies. Two performers and multiple forms of clay converse through visceral rituals highlighting the continuous reincarnation of self. Inside the empty vessel of the old Bank of New South Wales building, a fabric installation acts as a billowing sculpture in the re-imagined space. Surrounded by the installation, time is slowed down to linger and witness this perpetual dance of creation and destruction.
Coiling invites audiences to enter a world of meditative rituals to connect empathically with the cyclical regeneration of place, physical materials, and the metamorphosis of identity.
Creative Team:
Creators & Performers: Jenn Ma and Baylee Griffin
Sound Composer: Isadoré
Costume & Set Designer: Andrew Treloar
Projection Designer: Aaron Ashley
Lighting Designer: Yoshie Kenny
Dramaturg: Michael Smith
Various sessions available
Duration: 50 minutes
$30 Concession (use the code 'Concession' at checkout) | $35 General Admission
This work has been commissioned by PUNQ and was developed with Dancenorth in 2024 as part of its Regional Gravitation – 4 Walls and a Floor Program.
About The ArtistBaylee Griffin (they/she) is an artist and community arts facilitator. Largely working with ceramics, their practice is an act of resilience and reciprocity, rooted in identity and embodied ecocentrism. Griffin's work in community arts has taken them throughout regional and rural Queensland, where they care deeply about fostering meaningful connections with, and holding safe spaces for diverse communities.
Griffin was a finalist in the 2022 North Queensland Ceramic Awards and has exhibited throughout Queensland. The artist received a 2023 RADF grant to interrogate the sustainability of their practice, and they shared their findings with the community through seminars and workshops. Griffin has written multiple articles for the Journal of Australian Ceramics as a part of their dedication to connecting regional practice to global dialogues.
Jenn Ma (she/her) is a Naarm-based Taiwanese-Australian dancer, choreographer and producer. Jenn’s collaborative dance practice sees her working with dancers across street and contemporary dance; with actors, non-dancers and directing multidisciplinary works for theatre, film and public spaces. At its core, Jenn’s practice aspires to elevate the presence of culturally diverse artists. Her collaborative processes house her keen interest in the embodiment of multiplicity within personal narratives.
Jenn’s works have been presented at Melbourne Fringe, Dancehouse, Bunjil Place, Hyphenated Biennial, RISING and MONA FOMA, alongside multiple short dance films with her collaborators. She was a member of youth dance company, Yellow Wheel; street dance collective, Mute Crew; Dancehouse’s Emerging Choreographers Program, a recipient of City of Melbourne’s Arts Residency and the Detour Interconnected Dance Fellowship (GUTS Dance, Dance Makers Collective, Dancenorth, Tracks Dance, Tasdance). She has worked with local and international artists including Jo Lloyd, Tasdance, Stephanie Lake Company, AdeY, Liesel Zink, Su Hui-Yu and Deep Soulful Sweats.
The old Bank of New South Wales building (across from Townsville Bulletin Square and Cowboys Leagues Club): 337–343 Flinders Street, Gurambilbarra / Townsville, QLD Australia 4810.
View the interactive PUNQ Art Trail Map for directions.
Venue Accessibility- Wheelchair access via Stokes Street entrance.
- Nearby accessible parking, roadside.
- Nearby accessible toilets in the Townsville Bulletin Square accross the road.
- Nearby accessible public transport (bus stations at shopping centre).
- Nearby street drop-off points.
- Assisted wheelchair accessibility. Uneven surfaces outside.
- An accessible entrance (step) and no obstructions to the path upon entering.
- Signage indicating it is a PUNQ program.
General Admission: $35
Concession: $30 (use code 'Concession' at checkout)
Duration: 50 minutes
Arrival time: 6pm
Various sessions:
- Wednesday 14 August – 6.30pm
- Thursday 15 August – 6.30pm
- Friday 16 August – 6.30pm
- Saturday 17 August – 6.30pm
- Sunday 18 August – 6.30pm + pot smashing
PUNQ respectfully acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the surrounding groups of our region; Bindal, Gugu Badhan, Nywaigi, Warrgamay, Bandjin and Gudjal as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, share and celebrate local creative practice. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of Australia. They have never ceded sovereignty and remain strong in their enduring connection to land and Culture.
PUNQ respectfully acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the surrounding groups of our region; Bindal, Gugu Badhan, Nywaigi, Warrgamay, Bandjin and Gudjal as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, share and celebrate local creative practice. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of Australia. They have never ceded sovereignty and remain strong in their enduring connection to land and Culture.
PUNQ is produced by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts. The festival is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. Townsville City Council is a funding partner of PUNQ.