The Thousands

In 2007, Underbelly began as a festival for emerging and experimental artists. In 2008, Underbelly began as a prime time television program. And unfortunately for the former, the word is now synonymous with the ratings-bloated latter. Take the opportunity to re-claim the name: This experiment will again bring together 100 artists, this time to Kensington Street, Chippendale and its surrounds for ten days of work, play and production. Theatre-makers, film-makers, musicians, installation artists, puppeteers, sound artists, publishers and aerialists each do their thing, culminating in a final festival day to show off their fruits.

Unlike Julia Gillard, Underbelly Arts is all about its open door policy. The emphasis on public involvement is huge – tour through The Lab at various times while artists work alongside. I Can Draw You a Picture is an event that needs you to procreate with craft materials for the on-site birth of a magazine. And Justin Harvey’s 13% Pervert invites interaction with chatroulette in its exploration of our public and private selves. Others to watch are the dance-meets-martial arts cocktail of Apache Studies and All the Best‘s take on an audio tour. With a program as substantial as this, there’s no reason why another Underbelly can’t continue to thrive in this city.