Call Out: Gesturing Together Creative Lab EOIs

Mar 16

Gesturing Together is the first SPACED Creative Lab, supported by the City of Canning. Gesturing Together is open to early-to-mid career creatives to participate in a weekend of practice-based exchange.

Over 2 days, SPACED and the City of Canning will host 20 WA-based artists as part of Gesturing Together, made up of the current cohort of Know Thy Neighbour #4 artists and additional local artists.

Participating lab artists will be invited to consider and broaden ideas, exchanges and processes in response to creating with people in place. The lab will explore collaboration with people and communities to create new artworks across artforms. This includes ideas and projects that focus on social interaction and socially-engaged practice.

The lab is free to attend and artists and creative practitioners working across disciplines, and over 18 years-old, are invited to apply and will be selected via our expression-of-interest (EOI) form.

Gesturing Together participants will be led by facilitator Ainslie Allan and connect over conversations, activities, peer-to-peer sharing, and talks presented by guest artists and experts. There is no specific outcome requirement, and lab guest speakers will be announced soon. The lab will take place in the Hillview Intercultural Community Centre in Bentley, and daily lunch catering will be provided.

SPACED aims to support individual circumstances or needs that enable participation in the program. We encourage people of diverse cultural backgrounds, living in regional areas and people with disability, to apply and to discuss any access requirements with SPACED.

Those interested in being considered are asked to complete a short written EOI. Interested participants who would like support or would like to submit their EOI in another format are encouraged to contact SPACED.

Any queries can be directed to Curator Rebecca Riggs-Bennett: rebecca@spaced.org.au

Lab Facilitator

Ainslie Allan (they/them) - fka. Daisy Sanders - is a Boorloo dance, experimental and community artist (WAAPA BA Arts Dance 2013, Honours 2017). Their practice is grounded in enduring collaborations with interdisciplinary artists and intentionally building positive, radically real creative ecologies. Protracted experience of chronic illness (2015–20) led Ainslie to develop a rest-focused movement method and deeply considered approach to artistic leadership that is sustainable, accessible and caring. Ainslie’s choreographic work is based in improvisation (body/voice/writing), re-imagines audience paradigms and prioritises collective experience and energetic exchange. They are passionate about integrating somatic intelligence with socio-political awareness and believe wholeheartedly that listening via the body enables transformative art and change in our world. Ainslie’s artistic values have been shaped by working relationships with Teac Damsa (Ireland), Geoff Sobelle (USA), Sensorium Theatre and pvi collective among others. Ainslie has developed a skilled and distinctly generous approach to facilitation through FLOCK, Kolyang Hub, University of Otago Caroline Plummer Fellowship and various youth/community settings.

Dates

EOIs due: 14 May 2026
Selection announcement: 21 May 2026
Gesturing Together Creative Lab: 6-7 June 2026, 9:30am-5pm

Location

Hillview Intercultural Community Centre, 1-3 Hillview Place, Bentley

Hillview Intercultural Community Centre is a wheelchair accessible venue. The bathrooms, including one gender-neutral, wheelchair accessible bathroom, are located on the ground floor. The lab will take place in the centre’s multipurpose hall, which has a stage and an accessible stage lift. The room will be lit by a combination of natural sunlight and overhead fluorescent light. There is free parking available outside the centre and Transperth bus options to and from Lawson St.

Apply Here

Image: Home Frequencies , Artist Talk + Jam-03, by Mohammed 'Ayo Busari'.

More information about previous Know Thy Neighbour artists, host communities and projects as they unfold can be found in our Artistic Programs page.

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SPACED is supported by West Australian Government, through the Department of Cultural Industries, Tourism and Sport. Know Thy Neighbour #4: Gestures is supported by Creative Australia. The Gesturing Together Creative Lab is supported by the City of Canning.