Open Dar

OPEN DAR is our upcoming program for 2021, to be launched in November 2020.

Open Dar literally means ‘open house’, or in a place like Granville, ‘open village’. ATS uses the term in a multiplicity of ways - as an artistic conception, an ethos of engagement

and a model of practice. Open Dar has a focus on place and story through a process of artistic experimentation, using language and multiple art forms.

Open Dar takes place on Darug Land and ATS will collaborate with First Nations Elders and artists, who will lead in defining how we create respectful, conscious and culturally specific work. Elder in Residence is Aunty Rita Wright.

There will be a blend of creative hubs and interactive workshops across storytelling, performance, writing, digital media, movement, music, vocals, visual arts and working with natural materials that deepen ancestral knowledge. Preceding the workshops will be The Gathering, where Arab artists and co-creatives gather and listen to Darug Land with Aunty Rita and other First Nations Elders and Artists. 

To ensure that we operate safely while living through the Covid19 pandemic, the Creative Team will work with smaller hubs of artists and co-creatives to make raw work for future site-specific public performances and installations in Granville. 

In 2021 and beyond, Open Dar will bring Arab artist-led work to new audiences from all over Sydney. 

Open Dar is funded as an annual program by Create NSW.