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Central Victorian based, Live Arts organisation Punctum has taken 'two for two' Green Room Awards in the field of Contemporary and Experimental Performance for its production of COMPLETE SMUT Art Auction commissioned by Arts House for the 2016 Festival of Live Art in Melbourne.
Taking out the award for "Innovation in Participatory Performance" and "Outstanding Production", Punctum is the first regionally based company to have ever won at these prestigious awards.
"This our first time as a nominee for a Green Room Award. To have been nominated for two and to then win them is a great honour and a privilege. It says a great deal about our brave and generous members, artists, audiences, partners, and supporters. It also shows that professional productions grown regionally can raise the bar for performance in Australia." says Jude Anderson, Artistic Director of Punctum, and Director of COMPLETE SMUT Art Auction.
Held last week at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne, the Green Room Awards recognise the world-class Cabaret, Dance, Musical Theatre, Opera, Theatre, and Alternative and Hybrid Performance productions that grace Melbourne's stages each year. The Awards are described as "From artistic excellence to technical innovation, a Green Room Award is the most revered accolade an artist can receive in Australia's cultural capital."
Unlike many other awards, the Green Room Awards are not a popularity contest. Panels of industry professionals who specialise in the different disciplines are responsible for deciding the nominees and award recipients. Because of this industry involvement, a Green Room Award is a highly-respected accolade for all performing and technical artists.
COMPLETE SMUT Art Auction was an auction of nine live performances. Each of the works up for auction delved into desire, transaction, and worth. The auction itself mixed the brilliance and chaotic fervour of stock and livestock markets with the sophistication and seduction of fine art auctions. It connected audiences to mechanisms of desire, transaction and public opinion and invited them to directly influence other audience members' relationship to art, worth and investment.
It had an auctioneer who drove bids on a series of provocative performances. The highest bidder for each performance owned it for the night. As a successful bidder, the audience could create their own presentation protocols - set an exorbitant ticket price to make their money back and then some, give free entry to guests, friends, and family, have a private showing to themselves or ban the work from ever being seen by anyone.
The whole event deliberately raised questions about censorship and the value of powerful and provocative performance. The auction itself felt was driven by desire and the heat of competition.
Further information concerning Punctum can be found at www.punctum.com.au.
Further information concerning COMPLETE SMUT Art Auction can be found at www.punctum.com.au/works/complete-smut-art-auction-2016.
