Wollongong Arts Festival 1972

Fusion is a local organization that aims to bring people of different nationalities together in the district.

 

During 1972 an innovative festival of the arts - the first - was held in Wollongong entitled Fusion 72. The chief instigator was John Richardson, editor of the Illawarra Mercury, whilst young art student David Humphries was heavily involved in creation of the program as Artistic Director. The festival followed on the work of a group of local artists and school students the previous year, including Michael and Mary Callaghan, Philip Batty, Russel Mulcahy and Humphries. They had come together through the local branch of the WEA (Workers Education Association). All would eventually leave the district and go on to significant careers in the arts, both nationally and internationally. Mary Callaghan became a screen printer and film maker; her brother Michael helped set up Redback Graphics and was a master screen printer; Philip Batty worked with the Melbourne Museum; Russel Mulcahy became an international film director and innovator in music videos, and David Humphries undertook major public artworks with his business PublicArtSquad. The involvement of these young Illawarra artists was the initial expression of their multi-faceted talents and a landmark in the cultural development of the so-called Steel City, known more for its heavy industry centred around the Port Kembla steel works and numerous coal mines, rather than for artistic activities. Humphries' involvement in Fusion '72 was inspired by Martin Sharp's Yellow House project in Sydney during 1970-72, wherein a whole building was taken over and transformed into a multimedia art space.

 

David Humphries @ Fusion 72 headquarters, Royal Hotel, Wollongong, June 1972. The background image is a Martin Sharp lithograph on mylar.

 

In 1970 the Royal Hotel on the corner of Crown and Keira Streets, Wollongong, was sold to make way for the new Crown Central Shopping Centre. As a result it became vacant and, like Sharp, Humphries approached the owners who were happy for him to occupy it in the interim. He then went about setting up the Fusion headquarters there. Little is known or remembered of Fusion 72, however this blog will attempt to draw together elements of this historic festival and work towards development of a better-than-sketchy account. A good starting point is the interview 24 year old Humphries gave in June 1992 to Geoff Failes, a news reporter from the local WIN4 television station. The interview subsequently ran on the weekly Sunday Review program. The original 16mm black and white film footage, plus on-screen presenter's script, survives in the University of Wollongong Archives collection and has recently been digitised and made available on open access. The script introduces the interview as follows:

 

Plans and preparations for Wollongong's first professionally directed festival of the arts, Fusion '72, are underway. Festival director David Humphries describes the beginnings of the festival and the events to be held. Sydney's Yellow House, a centre of arts, inspired the committee to find a similar space in Wollongong and they have based the festival headquarters at the Royal Hotel.

 

David Humphries Fusion 1972 Festival - Wollongong. Source: WIN4 television, Sunday Review, 30 June 1972, duration: 4.28 minutes. Copyright: WIN Corporation Pty Ltd. Collection: University of Wollongong Archives.

The actual Sunday Review segment ran for 9.27 minutes, suggesting that an additional five minutes of footage was presented, most likely providing examples of the artworks on show and participation in some of the festival events. The actual interview runs as follows:

Geoff Failes: ........

David Humphries: .....

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Reports on the various activities are sketchy, with but two references on TROVE and no access to digital copies of the Illawarra Mercury, one of the major sponsors of the festival. On 25 August the Sydney-based Dutch Australian Weekly published the following item:

Center for music and art in Wollongong

WOLLONGONG, NSW, August 19 — In Wollongong the 'Fusion 1972' festival is currently being held. One of the organisers stated: "Its purpose is to raise funds for the foundation of a community center in Wollongong, where all kinds of activities tied to the field of music and art unfold. All national [ethnic] groups participate in the activities." The snack bar in the Fusion's Wollongong Festival Center is operated by a real couple - the W. Kloots from Gerringong, famous for their 'cheesecake'. W. Kloots, who is actually a painter by profession, came 18 years ago with his wife from Netherlands to start a new life in Australia. The couple opened a cafe in Kiama 3 years ago where Mrs Kloots 'cheesecake' became famous. 

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Rosemary Greenwell is also known to have exhibited some of her jewellery at the festival. Apart from this, no information is readily at hand at this stage.

Humphries included in the festival a series of costumes created by Mary Callaghan for her experimental film project 'An Experiment in Colour and Movement.

Mary Callaghan, Bird Power [extract], 1972, duration: 3.59 minutes.

Mary Callaghan (1955-2016) grew up in Wollongong and revealed an early interest in film making whilst at high school. For her Higher School Certificate examination in 1972, she produced an 8 minute long film on 8mm colour stock entitled Bird Power. It was fully costumed and choreographed by her and shot in Bombo Quarry, near Kiama. Mary's film featured family and friends, including her brother Michael Callaghan and friend Philip Batty, wearing brightly coloured and ornate bird costumes in the quarry as they carry out a series of movements and gestures, amidst the volcanic rock and pools of flourescent green water. A partial copy of he film remains and is available here under the title 'An experiment in colour and movement'. It runs for approximately 4 minutes, which is half of the original version. According to the director, "The theme behind the scenes was power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." At the time of its production James Mollison, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, sought to purchase the costumes from Bird Power, however Mary would not sell them at the time. The costumes subsequently disappeared.

A special post office souvenir cover was issued during 1972 to mark the stamp exhibition held by the Illawarra Philatelic Society in conjunction with the festival. The cover featured the official Fusion 72 logo.

Fusion 74

It would seem that the festival also ran in 1974, judging by the special Australian Post Office postmark used on a letter dated 26 August 1974 to Ronald Blair of Philadelphia. This Fusion Festival postmark (catalogued as APM #5360 / PM441) commemorates both the festival and the stamp exhibition held from 26 August to 6 September.

Elsewhere there is reference to Fusion as the 'annual' Wollongong-based festival of the arts, though at this stage it is not clear how often the name was used. The festival was, however, successful, in that it supported the work of the Illawarra Art Society (founded in 1956) to secure an official art gallery. This finally came to pass in 1978 with the opening of the gallery in a former  Illawarra County Council building on Burelli Street.  

Last updated: 16 October 2021

Michael Organ