Go with the flow – the ephemeral creative space popping up at South Bank
South Bank has long been known as a culture hub, playing host to some of our state’s biggest and best creative spaces – QAGOMA and QPAC, anyone? This reputation is about to be further bolstered with the addition of Flowstate, a temporary open-air pavilion and creative space popping up from January 29 to bring new life to a disused space.
If you’ve been to South Bank in the past couple of years and passed by the abandoned Arbour View Café precinct, you may have wondered what was going to fill the space – Flowstate is your answer. The South Bank Corporation has taken inspiration from other public precincts around the world that have adopted a creative urban recycling approach, wherein spaces are adapted and transformed to remain both relevant and exciting. Flowstate will be in operation for 18 months to three years, bringing an inaugural showcase of free artistic experiences to the community.
Details on the space and its activation are being pretty closely guarded until the official launch on January 29, but it’s been confirmed that specialist Australian architecture and performance design firm Stukel Stone was tapped to transform the 3000sqm space. Flowstate has been purposefully designed to serve multiple purposes, blurring the lines between landscape and architecture, theatre and public space. Within the area are three distinct experiences – a grassy relaxation zone, an immersive digital installation, and a vibrant performance pavilion. The project is South Bank Parklands’ first significant redevelopment since the award-winning River Quay back in 2011, which brought us such delights as Stokehouse Q, Aquitaine Brasserie, Popolo, The Jetty South Bank, and River Quay Fish.
Free event highlights include Aura by Queensland’s world-leading performance company CIRCA, Dead Puppet Society’s roving installation Megafauna, Little Match Productions’ all-ages contemporary opera The Owl and the Pussycat, moonlit musical trek Song to the Earth by Corrina Bonshek, and These Frozen Moments by the inimitable The Good Room. Tickets are released eight weeks ahead of shows – for more details, head to the official Flowstate website. As an added bonus, Flowstate will play host to an inspiring speaker and workshop series featuring special guests throughout the year – Magda Szubanski, Luke Ryan and Margi Brown Ash will all be making an appearance – plus a weekly resident DJ set every Friday evening on the Flowstate Green.