The Queer Woodchop combines a heritage sport with conceptual smarts in a humourous, sly, yet very sincere, collaborative, and rigorous inquiry into an Aussie cultural spectacle. Softening the often-incongruous blade between rural tradition and radical queer practice, the event will champion Queer and rural festivity and community togetherness.
Working with local Tasmanian woodchoppers, axe-smiths, craftspeople, and LGBTQI+ experimental and performance artists, we developed the event through several collaborative devising sessions in rural Tasmania. Artists will learn traditional skills and collaborate with woodchop sportsmen to devise original competitions and choreography.
CREDITS
Pony Express – Loren Kronemyen, Ian Sinclair
Artists – HK Vermeulen, Solomon Frank
Woodchoppers – Todd + Carmen Nielsen
Commentators – Rose Kingdom-Barron, Hera Direen
Ring Steward – Sophie Ambler
Sound + LX – Hosting
Design – Rachael Guinness, Marcus Tatton
Images – Jesse Hunniford
Supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Tasmania, Tourism Tasmania and Mona Foma.
TOURISM TASMANIA CAMPAIGN
- Campaign Brief
- Commercial: YouTube
MONA FOMA SHOW
- Broadsheet
- TimeOut
- The Examiner
- Sitchu
- Beat
- Mona Foma website: Pony Express presents the Queer Woodchop. In an unlikely (or likely?) collaboration, the classic country-show woodchopping competition meets joyous queer festivity in an interactive spectacle of flying wood and fabulousness.
