ONE WATER - MANY ECOLOGIES
PETER
PHOTO: BONNIE DWYER
PHOTO: BONNIE GRACE DWYER
PAST
2023 art raft
The ART RAFT project is, in Hakim Bey / Peter Lamborn Wilson’s words, a materialised ‘temporary autonomous zone’, where collaborators and activists have space to playfully propose questions, be involved in a common cause, generate connection and envision more positive, future narratives. The project began as a response to the needs of the People’s Blockade, a peaceful ‘flotilla’ protest organised by Rising Tide, held annually in the harbour and river mouth of the Coquun/ Hunter River, at Muloobinba/ Newcastle. United on Awabakal and Worimi land and waters, the November 2023 protest saw 3000 people occupying the world’s largest coal port for 34 hours.
The ART RAFT collective of artists, carpenters, an architect and a social worker set out to create a playful vessel, in contrast to the metal-clad export ships that enter and depart the harbour, day and night. The collaborative process of designing and constructing the raft came from their existing networks in Newcastle. Everyday materials were donated and recycled, skills were pooled and shared, community groups were mobilised. Considering the ways in which creative collaborations can become tools to support climate activism and direct action, the art-raft crew balanced artistic expression with pragmatic problem solving. The goal was always to make and launch an interactive floating installation as a key element of the blockade. It was also a reminder of the human agency and personal risk involved in all forms of environmental protest.
PICKING UP PLANTS
PRESENT
This year we’re gathering together a bigger team, drawing on creative community, skill-sharing, collaborative dreaming and scheming, and hard work! The rafts we’re building—the stories of which are shown throughout this website—will play host to a constellation of community actions, on and off the water. Here, we’re inviting you to be a part of Art_Raft, through our COMMUNITY CONSTELLATIONS project! Together, we will create a sprawling collage of big picture imaginings and micro moments, logging and sharing the profound and tender feelings that surround the Port of Newcastle. We want to listen to the water, and hear what it has to say. Through COMMUNITY CONSTELLATIONS, we’re inviting contributions of local artworks (drawings, poems, photos, whatever makes sense for you!) responding to these themes, which will be compiled on this website as a collective imagining for the future.