EMMA WHITE
13 February - 12 March 2008

Emma White’s interest in the concept of genus loci, the spirit of place, will guide her exploration of Hill End’s past and present. Familiar with the area from childhood visits with her gold rush obsessed father, Emma plans to use her residency to generate photographs, video and sound recordings that will form the basis for exhibitions in Sydney and Melbourne in late 2009. An Honors graduate in Media Art from Sydney College of Fine Arts in 2002, White completed her Master of Visual Arts in 2005 and in the same year was the inaugural recipient of the Fauvette Loriero Memorial Artist’s Scholarship.

TOBIAS RICHARDSON & HAYLEY WEST
17 March - 14 April 2008

Darwin based artists Tobias Richardson & Haley West have worked collaboratively over the last two years. Working in a variety of media, Richardson’s work is concerned with the cultural and social values of architecture while West creates primarily sculptural/installation based pieces and expresses her ongoing interest in a sense of ‘place’. Both artists intend to use their time at Hill End to explore the unique environment and history of Hill End. For Richardson this will involve developing themes in his practice related to history and place, while West will concentrate on the notion of stranger in a strange place.

MARISA PURCELL
18 April - 16 May 2008

Painter Marisa Purcell has held nine solo exhibitions both in Australia and overseas including France and Switzerland. She recently completed a three month residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris and since her return to Australia has been attempting to reconnect with her ‘idea’ of Australia. A Hill End residency will give Purcell the opportunity to connect with the Australian landscape and to “experience the land by way of observation”. It will also give the artist an opportunity to deepen her understanding of her ancestors’ experiences as they negotiated a journey from Lebanon to regional Australia in the late 1800’s. The opportunity to work without the distractions of city life will enable her to produce a body of work that directly responds to the environment. 

ANA ANDERSON
2 June - 30 June 2008

Graduating from the National Art School in Sydney in 2006, Ana Anderson's paintings form silent dramas rich in mood and mystery. Her previous work has used film noir interior stills as subject matter creating dark and atmospheric 'stages' for contemplation. A residency in Hill End will give Ana the opportunity to complete a series of paintings exploring the relationship between Hill End residents and their environment. Titled 'Shadowland', the project aims to create thought-provoking paintings focusing on the mood of the landscape and those who inhabit it. 

ANTONIA AITKEN & TIM HANSEN
7 July  - 4 August 2008

Visual artist Antonia Aitken and composer/musician Tim Hansen will use their residency at Hill End as an opportunity to work collaboratively to develop a multi-sensory installation that explores connection with place through sound, drawing and materials found on site. During their residency, the artists will also use their collaborative skills and experience with working with youth-theatre groups in the ACT to facilitate a two-day workshops for primary school students from remote schools in the Hill End region. Titled Hill Shadows, the workshops will incorporate music-making, art-making and theatre to create a shadow-puppet performance exploring young people’s understanding of ‘place’.

Antonia Aitken completed a Bachelor of Arts (Visual) with Honours at the Australian National University School of Art, Canberra in 2006. Since 2000, she has participated in a number of group exhibitions, and had her first solo exhibition, Reading Namadgi, at the Blue Roof Gallery, Tharwa, ACT.

Tim Hansen completed a Bachelor of Communication (Theatre Media) at Charles Sturt University in 2001, and a Bachelor of Music (Composition) at the Australian National University in 2006.  An accomplished musician, composer and teacher, he has received a number of commissions including Death’s Waiting Room, 2005 from the Sydney-based theatre-company Dancing Giant, Spiderwine 2007 from Australia’s premiere guitar quartet, Saffire, and is currently writing the score for Dancing Giant’s 2008 original musical Bobby Dazzler’s 21st. Tim plays the piano, the piano accordion and sings. 

MICHAEL BELL
13 September - 11 October 2007

Australian artist Michael Bell plans to create a new series of paintings and etchings inspired by visiting the unfamiliar terrain of Hill End. For Bell, the process of making artworks is all about being in a new place and finding fresh ideas. Hill End will represent a shift for Bell from the suburban themed works he has created in recent years, and will allow the artist to discover new imagery based on Hill End's unique landscape and history.

Bell has participated in many group and solo exhibitions and his works are included in numerous Australian collections, including the Australian National Gallery, Canberra, as well as private collections in Australia, Norway and Dubai. Michael Bell is represented by Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney. 

ZOE MACDONELL
17 October - 14 November 2007

Textile artist Zoe MacDonnell studied at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales. In 2002 her work was selected to tour with New Design, a national graduate exhibition of new design at the Australian Centre for Design, Object Galleries. She also received the Object Award for studio based practice, 2002. The main concepts which run through Zoe’s work revolve around the study of landscapes at both a macro and micro level. Much of her work refers to the graphic interpretation of a landscape expressed through the symbols and conventions of maps. In Hill End Zoe will use elements of the landscape including contours, undulations, surface textures and natural specimens to create a series of works on silk.