Archives are Hot! – Fieldnotes on Being, Together Workshop

Following on from our recent September exhibition and the Kickstart program, Fieldnotes on Being, Together returns as a relaxed drop-in workshop. Come whenever you like, stay as long as you like, and create your own ‘field notes’ to add to our growing archive of collective gathering, caring, struggling, making, and eating.

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Fieldnotes on Being, Together is an exploration of what it means to gather collectively and share space, food and conversation. 

Over the past 18 months, we’ve collected words and thoughts that reflect the ways we work and care for each other, navigate the world, and create places where we belong. These field notes are the beginning of our An.Other Collective’s Manifesto, an ongoing project that guides us and helps us reflect on our practice.

We’ve printed these words on long pieces of fabric, alongside a patchwork of hijabs collected from Muslim women across Australia. Each piece is a unique narrative that has been sewn together to form a rich tapestry of sisterhood and togetherness.

Contributing Artists: Kezia Aria, Lifi Hakim, Della Indradi, Farhana Ismail, Fatimah Jannah, Nailah Masagos, Lia Maula, Wasielah Noorsjamsi, and Vina Purwantoro.

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Created as part of Next Wave’s Kickstart program, a long-form residency supporting early-career artists to dream and make within their contexts and communities. An.Other Collective are part of the 2024–25 cohort, mentored by Artistic Director Marian Abboud.

Next Wave

Next Wave is a leading not-for-profit arts organisation dedicated to supporting early-career artists working across multiple art forms. Next Wave plays a defining role in the Australian arts landscape by empowering and advocating for early-career and experimental artistic practice in Australia.

This event is part of Next Wave's ALL School programming. ALL School is an artist-led learning program designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and idea swapping.

An.Other Collective

An.Other Collective is a community of female Muslim makers, artists, and designers spanning from Sydney and Melbourne. The collective is an open platform that gathers and weaves the diverse perspectives of individuals and communities to dissolve colonial barriers and reductive misconceptions on matters associated with faith, politics, identity, art and culture.

Artist Bios:

The Great Book Return (@tgbrarchive) is a living and growing archive of Palestinian, First Nations, Lebanese, and Syrian books, artworks, and artifacts based on unceded Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country.

Anna Emina (@annaemina_) is an educator, curator and writer based on unceded Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung land. Her practice centres around collaboration and seeks to create accessible opportunities for people of colour to connect with contemporary art in Australia.
Celine Saoud سيلين سعود  (celine.com.au) is a second-generation Lebanese writer and arts worker based in Naarm. Her creative practice considers cultural and familial traditions, particularly the ways matriarchs and community shape cultural practice.

Saluhan Collective (@s_a_l_u_h_a_n) is the creative collaboration of artists Aida Azin, Catherine Ortega-Sandow, and MJ Flamiano. Since 2019, they have developed a diverse body of work, including exhibitions, events, workshops, community gatherings, and film screenings, in partnership with organisations such as Arts House, SEVENTH, Next Wave, Footscray Community Arts, Testing Grounds, and Siteworks. Their practice is deeply rooted in Filipinx concepts of kinship and reciprocity, with a focus on creating spaces that interweave artistry and community engagement.

Catherine Ortega-Sandow (@catherineortegasandow) is a visual artist of Anglo-Celtic and Bisayan ancestry. She is the founder and co-director of Pagbasa Archive and co-leads Saluhan Collective. 

MJ Flamiano (@mjflamiano) is a visual artist, creative producer and arts worker of Anglo and Filipino ancestry with roots in Luzon and the Visayas.

Accessibility

The RMIT Garden Building is located at Level 5, Building 10, RMIT University 376-392 Swanston Street, Melbourne. This is a wheelchair accessible building with an elevator located behind Streat Cafe on Bowen Street (between Swanston and Russell streets).

Some on-street parking is available on LaTrobe Street. Trams operate along Swantson Street – get off at RMIT University stop and go to Bowen Street via La Trobe Street.

Artists in the Archive is supported by City of Melbourne