South West MESS
MESS is hitting the road and heading to Warrnambool in April 2022!
A choice selection of iconic synths from MESS’s extensive collection will be installed into One Day Studios at the iconic Fletcher Jones Factory site for a residency running April 23 to May 1 2022. The program features hands-on workshops, talks and lectures, an open studio session and live performances.
Public Program
Talks and lectures, studio sessions and live performances will be open to the general public.
Student Intensive
At the heart of South West MESS is a free 10-day program open to music and creative audio students based in the region. Hosted by artists Gus Franklin & Janita Foley, students participate in an intensive program aimed to develop their skills with a focus on creativity. collaboration and career.
Public Program
Participate in a range of programs for local creatives and the public
Saturday, April 23rd
South West MESS – Open Studio
10.00 am – 12.00 pm at One Day Studio, Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
Free drop-in session, no tickets or pre-registration required
Come down to South West MESS at the Fletcher Jones Factory and explore some of the synths and other electronic instruments in the MESS collection.
Before we launch into our student intensive program, this is your chance to have a noodle, see what we’re all about and satisfy your curiosity about the wonderfully weird world of electronic sound.
This session is FREE. No tickets are required; you’ll just need to register with us at the door upon arrival.
Sunday, April 24th
South West MESS – Open Studio
10.00 am – 12.00 pm at One Day Studio, Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
Free drop-in session, no tickets or pre-registration required
Come down to South West MESS at the Fletcher Jones Factory and explore some of the synths and other electronic instruments in the MESS collection.
Before we launch into our student intensive program, this is your chance to have a noodle, see what we’re all about and satisfy your curiosity about the wonderfully weird world of electronic sound.
This session is FREE. No tickets are required; you’ll just need to register with us at the door upon arrival.
Monday, April 25th
South West MESS – Talk & Tour: An Introduction to MESS
7.30 pm – 9 pm at Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
$5.50 per person BUY TICKETS HERE
Want to know more about MESS? In this combined talk and tour, you’ll learn all about MESS, learn about some of the synthesisers we’ve brought to South West MESS and discover their stories.
Come down, check out the South West MESS set-up, see what we are all about, and satisfy your curiosity about the wonderfully weird world of electronic sound!
Tuesday, April 26th
South West MESS – Educators Professional Development Session
7.30 pm – 9 pm at Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
$5.50 per person BUY TICKETS HERE
Secondary school music and fine art educators and private instrumental music and art teachers are invited to a professional development session introducing participants to the sound and music creation software platform Ableton Live.
MESS co-founder Byron Scullin leads this session with support from Ableton Live. No experience with this platform is required.
See the session overview here. Following this workshop, participants will be provided with a free Ableton Live license for their school.
Wednesday, April 27th
South West MESS – Talk: The Development of Electronic Music in Australia – the EMS VCS-1 Story
7.30 pm-9 pm at Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
$5.50 per person BUY TICKETS HERE
Join MESS co-founder Byron Scullin for a dive into Australian – and global – electronic music history as we explore the story behind one of the rarest instruments in the MESS collection, the EMS VCS-1.
Learn how Australian composers fueled the development of an important milestone in electronic music – the creation of the first widely affordable electronic musical instrument. Without the impetus of these Australian composers, synthesisers wouldn’t have ended up in the hands of the likes of Jean-Michel Jarre, Brian Eno and Pink Floyd.
This talk will be followed by a short tour of the South West MESS set-up – a chance to explore some of the MESS collection!
Thursday, April 28th
South West MESS – Talk: The Development of Electronic Music in Australia – the Fairlight CMI Story
7.30 pm – 9 pm at Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
$5.50 per person BUY TICKETS HERE
Join MESS co-founder Byron Scullin for a dive into Australian – and global – electronic music history as we explore the fascinating story of the Fairlight CMI.
Heard on iconic releases from Stevie Wonder, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Herbie Hancock and Thomas Dolby – just to name a few – discover how an obscure Australian innovation changed the face of contemporary music.
This talk will be followed by a short tour of the South West MESS set-up – a chance to explore some of the MESS collection!
Saturday, April 30th
South West MESS – Student Performance
7.30pm-9pm at Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
$5.50 per person BUY TICKETS HERE
For the past week, talented young people from across the South West have explored the MESS collection, collaborating and creating new electronic sounds through the South West MESS Student Intensive program. Here’s your chance to hear and experience their creations!
Sunday, May 1st
South West MESS – Student Performance
2 pm – 3.30 pm at Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
$5.50 per person BUY TICKETS HERE
For the past week, talented young people from across the South West have explored the MESS collection, collaborating and creating new electronic sounds through the South West MESS Student Intensive program. Here’s your chance to hear and experience their creations!
Sunday, May 1st
South West MESS – Open Studio
4.30 pm – 6 pm at One Day Studio, Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
Free drop-in session, no tickets or pre-registration required
Come down to South West MESS at the Fletcher Jones Factory and explore some of the synths and other electronic instruments in the MESS collection.
This is your chance to have a noodle, see what we’re all about and satisfy your curiosity about the wonderfully weird world of electronic sound.
No tickets are required; you’ll just need to register with us at the door upon arrival.
South West MESS – Open Studio
10.00 am – 12.00 pm at One Day Studio, Fletcher Jones Factory, 77 Flaxman Street, Warrnambool (map)
Free drop-in session, no tickets or pre-registration required
Come down to South West MESS at the Fletcher Jones Factory and explore some of the synths and other electronic instruments in the MESS collection.
Before we launch into our student intensive program, this is your chance to have a noodle, see what we’re all about and satisfy your curiosity about the wonderfully weird world of electronic sound.
This session is FREE. No tickets are required; you’ll just need to register with us at the door upon arrival.
Student Intensives
A 10-day creative skills development program for people ages 15-25
The South West MESS Student Intensive is a 10-day program led by artists with roots in the South West, Gus Franklin, and regional Australia, Janita Foley. The program is aimed at people aged 15-25 and is limited to 20 participants.
Janita and Gus will be guiding you through a collaborative hands-on electronic sound and music project with a live performance outcome. At the start of the project, we will form 4 groups of 5 people each. You will work together across the week to devise, develop and perform an original piece of electronic music. Along the way, you will get to use instruments from the MESS collection, learn about the roots of electronic sound creation, meet other like-minded people from the region and develop your artistic and technical skills. Experienced MESS staff will also be on hand to support you throughout the 10-day program.
This program is aimed at people who have an interest in creating electronic music and/or audio. You will need to demonstrate your interest in these areas as part of your application. Prior experience in electronic music or other forms of creative electronic audio creation is recommended but not essential. This program is recommended for creators and artists; composers, performers, songwriters, beat-makers, DJ’s, producers, sound artists, etc. It is not suitable for those whose focus is more technical ie. audio operators/engineers, live audio mixing, etc.
Program Details
This program is free and there is no cost to apply.
Participation is by application. Places are limited to 20 students.
Participants will need to be available for a week of face-to-face learning from April 22 to May 1 in Warnambool. Please see the schedule overview below for details. Accommodation and travel assistance is available if required.
Priority will be given to ensuring that students right across the region have an opportunity to participate in this program, but for those who are unsuccessful, there will also be a range of public single sessions for you to get involved in.
You do not need to own any instruments or equipment to participate. MESS will provide everything you need, right down to headphones. If you have instruments and/or equipment of your own, you will be able to use it as part of the program. This includes laptops, tablets, phones and other non-traditional tools.
Successful applicants under the age of 18 will need to have written and signed permission from their parent/guardian to attend.
Application Requirements
To apply you need to meet the following requirements:
- Aged between 15 and 25.
- Live in one of the following Local Government Areas:
- Colac Otway
- Corangamite
- Glenelg
- Moyne
- Southern Grampians
- Warrnambool
- Be available for a week of face-to-face learning from April 22 to May 1 in Warnambool. Accommodation and travel assistance is available if required.
- Have completed and submitted the online application form below. Applications close Sunday, March 27, 2022.
If you have questions or would like assistance filling out the application form, please email us – we are happy to help!
Development & Supporters
South West MESS is a project developed by South West Local Learning & Employment Network, One Day Studios and MESS.
Supported by Regional Arts Victoria and the Australia Council for the Arts.
