Creative Sparks Program 2024 grant recipients
The following Creative Sparks grants projects were approved in April 2024.
Successful grant recipients receive funding to implement creative projects, develop a professional practice or foster creative entrepreneurial partnerships with Brisbane artists and cultural workers.
Recipient | Project name | Description | Amount Approved |
|---|---|---|---|
Amy Chien-Yu Wang | 'AI May' - creative development | The project will fund the creative development of a new bilingual theatre production 'AI May' a play about grief and artificial intelligence. It will enable intergenerational, emerging, esteemed and cross-cultural artists to come together in an atmosphere of collaboration to create bold approaches to bilingual theatre. | $11,000 |
Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival (auspiced by | Brisbane Vocal Jazz Festival 2024 | The festival is the only specialised vocal jazz festival in Australia. It promotes and supports vocal excellence and diversity, so that all jazz singers feel supported and encouraged to excel, as well as presenting world-class national and international performances to a dedicated and growing audience. | $10,000 |
Clint Bolster | AN AUDIENCE with BOOFF - creative development | The project is the creative development, rehearsal, and performance season of 'AN AUDIENCE with BOOFF' that offers artistic innovation, storytelling excellence, and a transformative cultural experience; contributing to the success of a new touring production. | $10,000 |
DeepBlue Orchestra | DeepBlue 'Now is the Time' - creative development | This project will involve research and creative development for an innovative DeepBlue show that explores the possibilities and challenges of artificial intelligence and human creativity. Collaborating with Brisbane creatives to produce a three-part work-in-progress performance series at Superordinary, the series will include interactive technologies and audience engagement. | $11,000 |
Egan Sun-Bin | Scenes from a Yellow Peril | The grant will be used to fund one week of rehearsals for five local Bla(c)k, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) performers and creatives for the Australian premiere of Nathan Joe's 'Scenes from a Yellow Peril' hoped to be presented in late 2024. | $10,450 |
Emma Churchland | CAKE | This project will redevelop the camp, immersive spectacle, CAKE. Focussed on providing support to a broad team of early-career artists it offers a unique and enriching cultural experience for Brisbane audiences. To be presented at Metro Arts in November 2024. | $11,000 |
Flipside Circus Ltd | Maybe It's Only Us - creative development | The creative development of a new performance melding contemporary circus and visual theatre - ‘Maybe It’s Only Us.’ A collaboration between the award-winning Flipside Circus and The Good Room, the project will experiment with form and foster collaborations between young, early-career, and senior artists. | $10,000 |
Helen Carvolth | Brush and Bow - Art + Music | 'Brush and Bow' is a string quartet concert of Australian works with an accompanying projection of artwork and a live painting event. The project will develop new audiences, stimulate cross art form collaboration, and promote local professionals. | $11,000 |
Leanne McIntyre | The Bookplate Art Project | The Bookplate Art Project is a participatory art project where 12 commissioned Brisbane artists along with the wider community, will create mini-bookplate artworks inspired by stories and books that will be discovered by library borrowers. | $10,505 |
Lewis Treston | The Light in the Sahara - creative development | This project brings together playwright Lewis Treston, director Sanja Simić, and actor Christen O’Leary for the creative development of a new Australian work, The Light in the Sahara. A dedicated development period will culminate in a rehearsed reading of the play at Metro Arts in November 2024. | $11,000 |
Paul Hodge | Black Box | The project will support the world premiere production at the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC in May 2024 of an innovative new musical called Black Box. It will provide employment opportunities for 35 arts workers in Brisbane. The goal is to create a high-quality, tour-ready premiere production. | $11,000 |
Peter Thornley | Ancient Echoes: Old Lore & Young Bloods | 'Ancient Echoes: Old Lore & Young Bloods 'empowers First Nations youth through professional recording, filming and live performances and celebrates the diverse voices of Indigenous talent. | $9,020 |
Playlab Theatre | 'The Paradigm' - creative development | This project will develop a new LGBTQI+ theatre work, ‘The Paradigm’ for production in late 2025. The project will explore different expressions of love through alternate relationship models (polygamy, monogamy etc.) via three narratives occurring simultaneously in a hotel room, but in different realities. | $10,000 |
Rachel Si-En Choi | New Waves | The project will present a hybrid trans-disciplinary event and exhibition exploring the intersection of art and the experiences of the d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Featuring film, music and photography, the event seeks to draw connections between creativity and accessibility. | $9,900 |
Sara Taghaode | Hiphop Pureé | Hiphop Pureé is a short dance film telling the tongue-in-cheek story of a gothic teenage girl navigating her dysfunctional suburban family - collaborating with Brisbane creatives and premiering through a community cinema screening with a simultaneous at home screening launch via linked video chat. | $11,000 |
Topology | You Can Make Some Noise EP | The project backs the creation and release of a 5-track EP, written and composed during workshops with youth affected by cancer at the You Can Centre RBWH, led by Topology and Danny Widdicombe. The EP will be professionally recorded, culminating in a live debut performance in Brisbane. | $9,669 |
Tyson Goddard (auspiced by Backbone Youth Arts) | Rhythmology | The project will present Rhythmology, a night of live performance that incorporates music, dance and drag from queer First Nations and CALD artists. Exploring their shared experiences with colonization, racism, immigration and gender identity and sexuality. | $9,901 |
Vulcana Women's Circus | Agitate Incubator | This project supports women, trans and non-binary artist to create new short works using any physical performance artforms such as circus, physical theatre, dance or performance. Up to 30 emerging and experienced artists will be supported by skilled professionals to produce and present their work to audiences. | $9,900 |
Wanida Serce | Grounded | This project aims to produce a digital series featuring 3 conceptual dance videos highlighting Brisbane dancers. Employing an all-local crew, this project celebrates Brisbane artists with a public showing on October 14th 2024, at Elements Collective and a digital premiere on 21st October 2024. | $11,000 |