Rats in the Ranks
2019Largely documented within the walls of the Leichhardt council chambers ‘Rats in the Ranks’ (1994) counts down to a mayoral election in the inner-city Sydney [Eora] municipality. Filmmakers Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson were granted unprecedented access to the chambers and the 12 councillors within them. Their poignant and petty oversharing delivers a uniquely political docu-drama narrative, investigating the decision making processes that still determine our local (and federal) governments.
The filmmakers said: “This is not a film about ideological differences, and there’s very little mention of policy.” This is a film that points to ‘the ego’ and acts as a microcosm, showcasing neurotic behaviour central to any election.
This event features a performance from the Moreland City Band and a reading from Magic Steven.
Moreland City Band
The Moreland City Band is a community music group that was formed in 1882. Beginning as a traditional brass band in 1882, in recent years Moreland City Band has evolved into a contemporary, multicultural ensemble that reflects the vibe of the Moreland community. Encompassing a range of musical styles including jazz and big band idioms, Balkan and other world music, baroque music and traditional brass band arrangements, they will be opening proceedings on Friday 27 September. Their Instrumentation includes trumpets, horns, trombones, saxophones, double bass and drum kit. Band members include professional musicians, tertiary music students, music graduates and dedicated amateurs.
Magic Steven
Magic Steven is a Melbourne-based artist, whose work has been described at various times as autobiographical storytelling, deadpan comedy, guided meditation, group therapy and long-form beat poetry. He has performed around Australia at festivals including Dark Mofo, Camp Doogs, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Liquid Architecture, White Night, the Inland Concert Series and Blindside Festival. Internationally he has performed in cities such as Berlin, Paris, Moscow, Athens, Tbilisi, Stockholm, Auckland and London. In 2016-17 he established an ongoing monthly night at the Trades Hall in Melbourne, writing and performing a new show once a month, about whatever happens in his life each month, with guest musicians and DJ's appearing at each show. He is also a visual artist, creating black and white ink drawings which have been collected in a number of self-published books.
Curators: Charlie Freedman & Emmett Aldred