2015 - Ongoing
“A chaos of raw action, colour, costume and community creates the nucleus for the ever transforming realm of The Bait Fridge. The manipulators of this wet, hyper-colourful landscape are bound to no laws, except to keep evolving the space visually, socially and sonically. If the environment is not constantly in flux...it will die.”
The Bait Fridge is a multi-disciplinary collective from South Australia whose members collaborate under a unified banner to create works and performances which combine the practices of music, art, dance and theatre. It began in 2014 at Blenheim Music and Camping Festival in Clare Valley as a spontaneous performance of expressive art and experimental music. The Bait Fridge has consistently performed at Blenheim Festival every year since - growing from a 5-piece outfit in its inception to over 15 participants in 2018. Since 2016, The Fridge has found a keen focus on costume construction and musical experimentation via The Bait Fridge Band (now fully formed into Slowmango). Our current work involves improvised combinations of narrative performance, live music, sculptural instruments, dance, audience involvement in both planning and execution of public works, workshops, and stage construction from discarded materials.
In 2021, The Bait Fridge and Slowmango have been undertaking a residency at The Lab (February - December), a performance and digital experimentation venue in Adelaide’s CBD, where the collective have developed a series of live performances incorporating live music, scripted and improvisational performance, and digital work. Some key areas of focus during this residency have been:
- narrative - each performance has been directed by a different Bait Fridge member who choses the theme and narrative, writes the script, and guides the group
- audience participation in a music gig setting: pushing performance art elements into a band gig setting has proved an exciting challenge for both the band and the performers.
- digital elements: using The Lab’s wraparound LED screens to present both live and pre-recorded video and animation elements as part of the shows using Touchdesigner. See here for more information about this residency.
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Also in 2021, members from The Bait Fridge were invited to Gunbalanya, West Arnhem Land, NT, to deliver and art workshop series and engage in art exchange activities with young people through the Adjurmarllarl Aboriginal Corporation’s Stronger Communities for Children program. Bait Fridge artists travelled to Gunbalanya in August and October 2021.
^Hey Animals, How’s It Going? A video about animals and emotions made with young people at the Gunbalanya recreation hall during our Bait Fridge art workshops in October 2021.
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The Bait Fridge has had very generous contributions from our many core members and fluctuating jammers alike, including: Arlon Hall, Kaspar Schmidt Mumm, Henry Walker, Adrian Schmidt Mumm, Emmaline Zanelli, Hari Koutlakis, Declan Casley-Smith, Abbey Howlett, Felix Phoenix, Annie Scheid, Ben Sargent, Mat Morrison, Zeno Kordov, Heath Dalziel (Colourfool), Kasia Lalewicz, Dave Court, Ben, Jack Hodge, Steph Walker, Rory, Jack Casley-Smith, John Walker, Clara Solly-Slade, Kurt Bosecke, Ziggy and co
Bait Fridge 2017 from Kaspar Schmidt Mumm on Vimeo.
Art Basics: A Staged Jam, The Bait Fridge at The Mill, video by SunnySide Uploads, May 2020