The Bagot Festival was the opening weekend of the Darwin Festival 2013. Over 740 audience members joined us on this weekend to experience a very different side of the Bagot community taking a walking tour, guided by the local children.
The Walking Neighbourhood Bagot style was a collaboration between the artistic team from Contact Inc and a group of children from the Bagot community who created a participatory performance for all ages to experience. As part of this we also worked with the Bagot Community OSHC (and their fabulous workers) and a diverse array of volunteers, arts and City of Darwin folks.
The community hall was transformed into a fluorescent departure Lounge (or neon as the kids would say.) We greeted the visitors with various installations (photos, sound, large community maps, found object gallery) and some refreshments and after some formalities…we set off.
A single ute was our mode of en mass transport and we walked as one large group around Bagot. From dance performances under the shade of a tree, to the very popular “holey hole” – a coin game played against visitors or the 5 on 5 basketball game, the Bagot kids dominated the court. We toured the Out of School Hours Care Centre, climbed the big banyan tree, activated the fire hydrant, enjoyed the memories of Mangos in the big wet and strolled around the Bagot Community.
The project was created through two weeks worth of workshops, and culminated in; the final destinations for the show, a series of design concepts and large photo boards.
