Blunt Pacers
About Us
Established in 2015, Blunt Pacers addresses issues through multi-disciplinary shows, experiences & events. Our Mission is to present honest and accessible art that connects members of the community via face-to-face interaction and addresses a current social issue.
Our Values
Audacious: To stand boldly and fearlessly in every aspect of our business.
Adept: To act professionally in all our relationships.
Quirky: To ensure our projects maintain a high level of imagination, originality and vibrancy.
Projects
Dark Times Gallery
IMAGINE an art exhibition that flouts every convention. A dark space that draws you into a bleak yet conceivable future.
An exhibition with no white walls, where no silent musing or whispered admiration is necessary; in fact, none of the usual gallery etiquette.
Instead, entering the dimly-lit gallery, a dystopian tale unfolds. Disembodied voices woven into a sinister soundscape and eerily illuminated artworks guide visitors through the 30-minute experience.
Brainchild of Newtown artists Blunt Pacers, Dark Times Gallery tells the story of a newly recruited bureaucrat who unwittingly stumbles upon incriminating correspondence between big corporate and corrupt politicians.
Be drawn into the dilemma. Does he ignore the potential end of Australia as we know it or can he live the life of a whistleblower? And if he does rise to the challenge, how can he get his message out to a world already saturated with information? A world where the lines between facts, news and conspiracy are being constantly blurred. Come and see where it ends….
- Project Designed and Created by Blunt Pacers
- Voice recordings by Alistair Wallace, Campbell Drummond & Danielle King
- Violin by Michelle Zarb
- Paintings by Michael Fitzsimmons
- Script by Rebecca Whittington
- Soundscape Composed by Blunt Pacers
Pocket-Sized Precincts
Pocket-Sized Precincts is a free art quest where participants explore local businesses to collect clues and discover new Sydney parks where they can find itty-bitty artworks by local artists - before putting their own creative skills into action!
Oscar, Josie and their dog Benson live in Sydney. They have seen a lot of Australia but there are many pockets of Sydney they have yet to discover. They will put down their gadgets and go on an adventure through their own city.
They will explore amazing parks, uncover local businesses and best of all, tap into their own imagination. Grab a map and join Oscar, Josie and Benson on their itty-bitty city art quest. You will find the pocket-sized artworks hidden within five City of Sydney parks. To find the secret locations of the parks call in at the businesses on the quest map and collect the clues.
Once you or a member of your team have visited all the locations on the map, it’s time to put your own creative skills into action to enter the competition. There’s no limit when it comes to your own creativity, so whether it’s a sketch, a photo, a poem, a song, you - inspired by your city - can decide! As well as winning some awesome prizes, the winner will have their work on display at 107 Projects.
Visit the Pocket-Sized Precinct Website
Pocket-Sized Precincts ran in 2016 and 2017 with the support of City of Sydney, along with the support many other wonderful businesses and individuals.
Artists
Professional History
Michael Fitzsimmons
Michael Fitzsimmons is the technical and operations support officer for the Jetty Theatre managed by the City of Coffs Harbour. Michael composes music that has been commissioned by Zak Page and was a crew member for All One Under the Sun festival in recent years. Prior to this he was a freelance stage manager, mechanist and audio engineer, who has worked primarily for City Recital Hall, Sydney Festival, City of Sydney, Belvoir Street Theatre, Griffin Theatre and Bangarra Dance Theatre. Other companies and events Michael has worked for include the Seymour Centre, ABC Studios, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Vivid and the Invictus Games. Check out Michael's Source Invisible Soundcloud and Band Camp.
Rebecca Whittington is from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and has worked in various areas of arts and entertainment industries, both at home and abroad, for almost two decades. Most recently, Rebecca spent five years as the Australian Production Design Guild business manager and awards manager. She has toured with the Australian Haydn Ensemble and has been a tour developer for Arts On Tour. She previously worked at Musica Viva, as the operations manager for the International Concert Series and production manager for Musica Viva Festival. Prior to this she worked for Monkey Baa Theatre Company, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and on numerous independent productions. You can hear Rebecca's musical compositions HERE.
Blunt Pacers
Rebecca, in partnership with Michael, started the multi-disciplinary arts business, Blunt Pacers in 2015 and continues in her role as producer and creative director. In addition to this, she manages all the logistics, budgets, marketing, administration and front-of-house aspects of the partnership. Rebecca designed Dark Times Gallery, wrote the script, composed the music and co-produced the soundscape. She created, designed and produced Pocket-Sized Precincts, which was funded by business sponsors and the City of Sydney.
Michael is the primary artist and designer for Blunt Pacers. He oversees the installations and ensures the smooth running of all projects. Michael created all the artworks for Dark Times Gallery, a series of paintings and ink drawings. He co-produced the soundscape and is the audio and lighting operator during the showings. Michael does all the design work for Pocket-Sized Precincts in addition to creating dioramas for the quest. You can purchase Blunt Pacers Designs HERE.
Supporters
THANK YOU
Over the years Blunt Pacers has been supported by many individuals, groups and businesses.
We would like to thank the following:
SPONSORS
City Of Sydney, The Awesome Foundation, Monkey Baa Theatre Company, Health Space Clinics, Store Espresso, The D.E.A Store, The Cruelty Free Shop, The Mercantile Hotel, Cheeky Transport, Social Escape, Seasonal Concepts, Something For Jess, The Erko and Dance Central
PARTNERS
107 Projects, Sydney Fringe Festival, Fun Day Out, Glebe Chamber Of Commerce, Tetch Gallery, Kerrie Lowe Gallery, C & C Film Factory and Daniel Nimmo
INDIVIDUALS
Jason Collier, Christopher Baker, Michelle Zarb, Peter Gahan, Anna Griffiths, Jennifer Barton, Lisa Caruso, Roland Kay Smith, Zac Krakalaka and Emily Polson