The inaugural OpenField Festival in June will connect the local regions through artistry by bringing artists and creatives out of the woodwork to meet and collaborate.   

Words Emily Perkins

Images Ainslie McNamara

Berry will be awoken to reconnection and creativity when it hosts a new multidisciplinary contemporary arts festival from 22-25 June. The mostly free event will showcase thought-provoking art of all forms, including existing and commissioned works, in Berry’s community spaces and natural reserves.

As you leave the blue horizon of the coal coast in the rear-view mirror and enter the rolling hills of luscious green and open fields, sprayed with livestock and lines of hay bales, you will arrive at the village of Berry where you will receive a map. This won’t be just any old map; it will hold a vibrant itinerary of what’s in store for you over the next few days.

The Festival Co-Director, singer-songwriter and actress Lenka Kripac, gave a sneak peek on what to expect: from music gigs, a pop-up cinema, performances, talks, and 11 venues to stroll between to view art.

“There’ll be art all around,” Lenka said proudly. “It will be installed in obscure places like old agricultural buildings, halls or different bits of nature; so it’s a bit of finders keepers in discovering set-ups throughout town.” 

The festival idea was ignited a year and a half ago around a campfire of creative friends that wanted to bring more events to Berry, and one that has never been seen before. The town is home to an array of groups from commercial and hobby farmers, town folk, Indigenous people, artists, businessmen and women. The aim of the festival is to tie the long history of diverse experiences of the region together and build a more distinct diverse cultural identity.

This, as well as the location, plays a large role in the curatorial theme of ‘Intersections and Interplay’. In the literal sense, the town is made up of horizontal and vertical streets that intersect, it’s where the coast meets country. More figuratively, it’s agriculture interplaying with the ever-evolving tourism, and the past linking up with the future and technology.

During the four-day festival, there will be creative and experimental musicians, drag queens, DJs and comedians, outdoor immersive art, Indigenous art, digital and textile mediums, photo artists, sculptures, genre-crossing and collaborations, and much more.

High-profile musical guests will include ARIA award-winning Josh Pyke, The Voice contestant Shaun Wessell of Tall Shaun and the Resolution Blues, and Dharawal singer Aodhan.

Berry will become a creative playground, with half of the 22 artists sharing ‘site-responsive’ works, improvising within the local spaces and reigniting them. Venues include the Old School of Arts, the CWA building, and the wood-chopping arena. “It’s a chance to celebrate and experiment with local heritage buildings and reuse the beautiful empty structures,” Lenka said.

The majority of artists on show are locals, including illustrator James Gulliver Hancock, with others visiting from various regional towns and cities. Austinmer’s Emma Saunders, who is a dancer, choreographer, director, educator, and curator, will be presenting a pop-up of

Encounter, a site-responsive contemporary dance production that will roam the streets of Berry for everyone to enjoy.

Originally commissioned and produced by FORM Dance Projects, Emma is directing the performance in collaboration with eight dancers from Parramatta’s We Are Here company.

The work expresses connection and celebrates what life is like for spirited youth growing up in urban and regional communities, through dance, story, place and music.

“There’s no other immersive dance work like it – the sheer joy of being able to experience dance outside with it happening all around you,” Emma said.

Encounter Berry will feature a recorded 52-piece youth orchestra from Western Sydney with original music composition by Amanda Brown and Jodi Phyllis and conducted by James Pensini. Visual artist, David Capra, has designed the unique look of the work, and Australian award-winning writer Felicity Castagna has captured Berry in words that will be spoken live by Yuin man, Warren Foster Jnr.

Emma’s work is inspired by her everyday surrounds including people’s movements which she abstracts and develops into longer, more dedicated movement sequences.

“I feel like everything’s on show for me,” she said. “I’m constantly inspired and at wonder of the organisation of the bodies in a supermarket for example – how we organise ourselves, the cues that we stand in, the rhythms that we all move in, and the funny little moments that occur.”

“The festival will challenge those notions and create a new idea of a country town,” Lenka explained. “I’m looking forward to blowing people’s minds because we’re transforming the town so much. The energy will be really different.”

Open Field Festival runs from 22- 25 June 2023.

For more details and to buy tickets, visit openfield.org.au or follow @openfieldartsfestival