Windmill teams up with independent artists to create ‘Honey I’m Home’
What were you doing during COVID19 isolation?
Many of us might answer that we were binge watching Tiger King on Netflix and languishing in a few new Corona kilos whilst haphazardly attempting to simultaneously homeschool our children and bake banana bread.
But while the vast majority of us were doing that, independent artists Chris Edser, Renate Henschke and Jonathon Oxlade turned isolation into inspiration and set to work with Windmill Theatre Co to create a new online series inspired by isolation, called ‘Honey I’m Home’.
The online series see’s the artists collaborate to use their skills in the visual arts to create unique animations, entirely out of objects found in the home.
Comprising of six to eight short webisodes, the series combines illustration, sculpture and stop-motion animation techniques to create funny and poignant portraits from life in lockdown.
Art responds to the times
Co-creator and animator Chris Edser says, “Art responds to the times. Renate, Jonathon and I found ourselves living in isolation and were each creating little funny characters or writing down ideas that sort of became a document of our experience.”
When the opportunity for the grant came up, the artists decided to make it into something bigger and approached Windmill Theatre Co to get involved, and help give a boost to some of the artists from Windmill’s 2020 cancelled roster of live shows.
Artists hit hard by COVID19
Artistic Director Rosemary Myers says, “Chris, Renate and Jonathon are brilliant artists and makers, all of whom have contributed immensely to the success of a variety of Windmill’s stage and screen productions over the last decade. To be able to work with them to create something beautiful in response to the difficult times we find ourselves in is a real privilege. Artists have been hit hard by COVID-19 and we’re thrilled to see our state government back so many artists during this period.”
Honey I’m Home will not only provide work for Edser, Henschke and Oxlade during a time where they’ve lost a significant amount of work throughout the year, but also give them an opportunity to upskill and broaden their creative practice.
“As designers working across theatre and film, we often work very closely with animators and other technical designers to help bring our vision to life,” say Henschke and Oxlade. “Making Honey I’m Home will see us also undertaking professional development training in animation and exploring different ways of making. We will also have the opportunity to branch into writing and other modes of creating. It’s really exciting to be afforded the opportunity to upskill and try something new, especially at a time like this.”
Honey I’m Home will be released fortnightly from mid-July and will be available via Windmill’s new digital platform Windmill at Home.
For more information:
Watch Episode 1
About Windmill Theatre Co
Based in Adelaide, Australia, Windmill Theatre Company has a global reputation as a leading producer of theatre for children, teenagers, and families. We bring artists together to uncover and ignite stories that are burning to be told. Each year we perform in our hometown, and tour across Australia and around the world.
In 2016, we released our first feature film, Girl Asleep, which won multiple awards and was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. In 2017, we announced the launch of Windmill Pictures, a new arm of the company dedicated to developing screen projects from our live theatre repertoire.
During the last 17 years, we have presented 63 productions, including 36 brand new Australian works, performing to young audiences in 287 cities and towns across 30 countries.
In response to COVID-19, we have created Windmill at Home, a new platform showcasing bespoke digital content based on our beloved repertoire. Since launching, Windmill at Home has been visited by over 10,000 people from all over the world.
