FLY BY NIGHT to Premiere at Nite Art 2015

Prepare to see Hamer Hall as you have never seen before in an immersive alternative reality adventure, Fly By Night premiering at Nite Art 2015 on Thursday July 23 and Open House Melbourne on 25 and 26 July. Weaving together dance, physical theatre, sound design and video art, the site-specific work uses iPhone devices to deliver a surprising, promenade-style, self-guided tour via a purpose-built mobile application.

Designed with love and affection for Hamer Hall, the surprising and irreverent work was created by performance collective Melinda Hetzel & Co. Guided by a series of 'gamified' visual clues and site-derived imagery mirrored on the device, Fly By Night fuses 'real-time' and screen-based elements into a virtual theatre of images.

Participants will pick up an iPhone from the Hamer Hall foyer and take an enchanted journey through the building's secret passageways with a surprise around every corner, live roving performers and multimedia elements on the screen bringing the experience to life.

As they travel through 'real' space, participants take in dance, physical theatre, an original sound score, sublime cinematography and interactive digital design via the screen of an iPhone. The work was inspired by Australian iconography, Alice in Wonderland, the history of the Hall and its inhabitants.

Artistic Director Melinda Hetzel directs and devises original, image-based performance and live art. Her extensive body of work features visually stunning site-specific works and dynamic ensemble-based theatre.

Since graduating in Creative Arts from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melinda has presented a wide range of work in Australia, as well as Singapore and Germany. In 2002 she was invited to Germany to direct and devise an Australian-German co-production, Einst zu einer Zeit... which received the Arena Festival Audience Award.

Melinda was also founding member and artistic director of Peepshow Inc. 2003 -13. During this time she directed and co-devised the company's entire repertoire, including: Slanting into the Void (Arts House, 2006), The Mysteries of the Convent (Abbotsford Convent, 2006-08), The Lost Story of the Magdalen Asylum, (Abbotsford Convent, 2010), Divine: Part One (Abbotsford Convent, 2011) and A Bird, a Tree, the Moon (City Square, 2012). The Lost Story of the Magdalen Asylum was nominated for a Green Room Award for Best Site-specific Performance and Divine: Part One was nominated for a Green Room Award for Costume and Set Design by Dayna Morrissey.

Fly By Night (23 - 26 July)

Thursday 23 July, 6 - 10.30pm (last entry 9.45pm)
Friday 24 July, 6 - 9pm (last entry 8.15pm)
Saturday 25 July, 10am - 9pm (last entry 8.15pm)
Sunday 26 July, 10am - 4.30pm (last entry 3.45pm)

Accessible Performance - Saturday 25 July 10am - 11:30am (last entry 10:45am)

Hamer Hall
FREE
The event is designed as an individual experience, however, it may be undertaken by pairs if preferred.

Bookings: artscentremelbourne.com.au or 1300 182 183