Happy Talk House

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Happy Talk is a new way of thinking about regional culture outside of galleries and brings together people and ideas through design projects, exhibitions, workshops, talks and publishing. Some of our projects start collaborations between diverse cultures and across generations, others are about rediscovering traditions and developing skills and resourceful ways to make everyday things.

The Happy Talk House was our first major commission supported by the City of Sydney and Art & About 2011. Inspired by the resourcefulness of our Pacific Island neighbours, the project involved the design of a city pavilion for talks, workshops, artwork commissions and performances. Built in Hyde Park from recycled shipping pallets, a Tivaivai-inspired external ‘veil’ and powered by solar cells, inside a 10-metre long Bilum, commissioned by Happy Talk and made by Florence Karmel and the Goroka weavers, was on show for the duration of the festival.

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WebOpt_710_BroadsheetbackThe month-long program of workshops and talks involved Pacific artists and a special edition of Pecha Kucha Night – speakers including the Urban Beekeeper and the architect of the new Museum of Contemporary Art, Sam Marshall. Workshops were open and free and held with the Sydney Architecture Festival, The Paper Mill gallery, Sydney Cycle Chic, and artists Tracey Deep, Maryann Talia Pau and Sione Falemaka. A broadsheet-sized program was written and published for the event by Good Habitat and distributed by the City of Sydney.

WebOpt_Happy_710_Garoka(event, talk, workshop, publishing)
Concept: Liane Rossler, Heidi Dokulil. Communication design: Graeme Smith, Beatrice Chew. Principal photography: Rachel Kara. Funded by the City of Sydney, Art & About Sydney 2011. Location: Hyde Park North, Sydney.

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