THE LAND AROUNDQueenstown,
on Tassie’s wild west coast, is an un-
rehabilitated relic of decades of mining.
But the Queenstown community
is diverse and rapidly evolving. The
Unconformity — a three-day mixed-
arts event — draws in outsiders to
temporarily become part of this region’s
current journey of self-exploration.
Festival director Travis Tiddy has
a personal stake in generating a cultural
resurgence in his home town. Thefith-
generation Tasmanian is not afraid to dig
deep and be disruptive — the relatively
recent name change from Queenstown
Heritage and Arts Festival to one that
triggers curiosity reflects the event’s
endless creative possibilities.
GETTING THERETO BOOK YOUR FLIGHT TO TASMANIA, VISIT
WWW.VIRGINAUSTRALIA.COM OR CALL 13 6789 (IN AUSTRALIA).THE UNCONFORMITY
Queenstown festival
The Unconformity
reclaimed a local
limestone quarry for
music, art and light
event Flux.Queenstown’s Haulage Unconformity, a unique rock face
formed from the region’s mining activity, inspired the new name
for this site-specific event about a place which socially, culturally
and historically doesn’t follow a predictable pattern.
“Last year it was a really intense program,” says Tiddy.
“The west coast authentically embodies the harder and darker
aspects of the Tasmanian story and [The Unconformity’s aim
is to] challenge you to engage with this environment.”
The festival program includes multimedia installations,
photography, dance and theatre performances, storytelling,
guided tours, percussive performance, participatory live art, film,
sculpture and cultural projects. There’s a pop-up radio station,
live music and a crib room in which to eat, drink and play.
The next festival will be held on 19–21 October 2018.
Queenstown; http://www.theunconformity.com.PHOTOGRAPHYALAMY, GETTY IMAGES, JACK ROBERT-TISSOT,JAMES SPENCER, MIA GLASTONBURY, NATALIE MENDHAM