Funpark

FUNPARK Coalition & Daisy Montalvo

Location: Bidwill

Year the project commenced: 2019 
Year it became impossible: 2020 
Live audience not reached: 400​​​​​​​
Originally presented as part of the 2014 Sydney Festival and sustained for seven years by a dynamic and committed community and arts consortium, FUNPARK has celebrated the culture, people and lived experiences of the community of Bidwill, Mt Druitt. Bidwill is on the traditional land of the Darug people and is home to large Aboriginal, Pacific Islander and migrant populations, and has the highest proportion of public housing in Sydney’s outer west. It is a complex and heavily stigmatised community that has often been associated with social and economic disadvantage and crime. Through ongoing creative learning programs, FUNPARK culminates into a site-responsive, cross art-form community program event that transforms the once abandoned shopping centre and surrounding spaces of Bidwill into a cultural FUN PARK, a public art space, a playground incorporating performance, installation, activism, critical debate and social engagement.
FUNPARK was underway before the pandemic hit. Workshops, planning and conversations were happening. The artists, production manager and crew were booked, interns ready to go and then – boom. The pandemic hit and restrictions were put in place. The FUNPARK 2020 Festival became impossible. With no signs of certainty, the FUNPARK coalition started to look at alternative ways of presenting. They reformatted and, still working with many of the original artists, moved the program online to create a digital festival, spread over eight weeks. Four artistic teams ran two online live-streamed workshops each. Workshops included; Parkour & Fitness, Hula Hooping, Samoan story-telling and crafts. As an extension of the workshops, Fun Packs were provided to local families to support their participation. FUNPARK 2020 also presented the Mount Druitt Press Conference: two curated conversations, featuring five young local leaders highlighting the issues and experiences of young people from Mt Druitt. Throughout the program FUNPARK also shared five locally made video works as part of theFUNPARK At Home Cinema series.
FUNPARK Coalition: 
Bidwill Uniting, 
Blacktown Arts, 
Curiousworks, 
Learning Ground Mt Druitt 
and PYT Fairfield 

Curator- Daisy Montalvo
Engagement and Community Liaison Officer- Robyn Hardge-Scott 
Community Projects Director, CuriousWorks - Caitlin Newton-Broad
Artistic Director, PYT Fairfield - Karen Therese
Executive Director, PYT Fairfield - Katy Green Loughrey
Learning Ground - Chain Reaction - Rumbi Mabambe
Coordinator Cultural Planning and Community Engagement,Blacktown Arts - Monir Rowshan
Centre Coordinator, Bidwill Uniting - Bec Reidy
YAP Manager, Learning Ground - Stephen Lawler
Curator, Programs and Learning,Biennale of Sydney - Paschal Berry

Artists- 
Bunny Hoopstar, 
Lalau Leo Tanoi, 
Imogen Ross, 
Jesica Montalvo, 
Joe Carbone, 
Jimmy James, 
Ivanka Djakovic, 
Alejandro Scarone, 
Adam McPhilbin, 
Shawn Spina, 
Sivani Yaddanapudi, 
Christina Martinez, 
Jason Denison 
and Aaliyah Felipe

Partners- 
Biennale of Sydney and Chifley College Bidwill Campus

Photo credits: 
Heidrun Lohr (Mt Druitt Press Conference pic)  
Courtesy of Bunny Hoopster (hula hoop pic)

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