REFUGIUM

REFUGIUM (2021) by Jen Rae + Claire G. Coleman

WINNER of the Incinerator Gallery Award for Social Change (2021)

It’s 2042 and Claire is past her use-by date. She knows apocalypse and doesn’t want another groundhog day.

Refugium is a short film of speculative fiction, by artist-researcher Jen Rae and author Claire G. Coleman. Centred on First Nations knowledge and protocols, Refugium hacks time and compounding existential crises, delves into moral dilemmas of life and death and hones in on child-centered trauma prevention and intergenerational justice in the coming collapse. What are the conversations that we aren’t having now that might aid us, our loved ones and our future ancestors? What are the skills and knowledges at the thresholds of being forever lost, overlooked or undervalued that our future generations may need for survival? What are we willing to give up and/or fight for in the greatest challenge facing humanity?

This view from the future is a final call to act – to imagine and create a world that should have been - prior to colonial disruption.

*Warnings* - Contains profanity and discussion on the climate emergency, colonial trauma, apocalypse, euthanasia, gender violence, suicide and filicide, and might be distressing to some people.

This video transmission was part of First Assembly of the Centre for Reworlding, a participatory palaver event at Arts House on Tuesday 27 April. Commissioned by Arts House for Refuge 2021.

Accessibility: a closed-captioned - Auslan interpreted version is available.

Lead Artists – Jen Rae and Claire G. Coleman; Director/ Dramaturg – Kamarra Bell-Wykes; Video – Devika Bilimoria; Sound- Marco Cher-Gibard; Make-up: Danielle Ruth – wowfx; Hair – Tor Hellander

Supported by – This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. Arts House - a key program of the City of Melbourne and supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.