There are few better places to break the rules than a jail.
Thus, The Lock-Up is the perfect venue for The Bender, an annual celebration of the arts.
Since The Lock-Up creative space opened in 2014, it has pushed the creative limits of art in Newcastle, capturing national attention along the way.
The Bender, now in year five, will be held on Saturday, from 6pm to 11pm, at the Hunter Street locale, which served as the Newcastle Police Station from 1861 to 1982 and still includes a prison "yard" and holding cells.
There will be poets, musicians, visual artists, performance artists, DJs, burlesque dancers, and more.
"I want to give a really visceral experience," guest curator Zana Kobayashi said. "It's intense. Experimental. I'm excited by artists pushing out of their practice.
"And it's an amazing audience, always up for a new experience, to have their boundaries pushed a bit ..."
The 200 tickets to the event were scooped up faster than ever, although because the event has a "one in, one out" policy, latecomers are a chance of getting in.
There will be 35 artists across a broad range of mediums performing on the night. Expect the unexpected.
Kobayashi's criterion is a curator's dream: "It can be a soft work, or a quiet work ... Or works that sit between mediums and practices.
"I am looking for things that aren't happening in Newcastle, something a little bit out of the ordinary."
"I want audience to feel like they are totally stepping into this other world,' Kobayashi said. "Feeling a little bit liberated, a little wild, a sense of abandonment."
The wildly electic offerings also fit the unique building. There will be several performances occurring simutaneously in different rooms of the building. Some of the cells will only accommodate a show with a performer and one audience member - you can't get any more interactive than that.
"You stumble upon what you stumble upon," Kobayashi said.
In preparing the expressions of interest document sent out to the world of artists, Kobayashi made a particular point to them: "I asked them to think about what we've gone through. Think about impact of the last two years, on their practice, on how people are engaging in each other.
"What experiences do you want to give people ... in this more open time."
For a moment, she feared the theme would be tired. But she realised "we are still within the pandemic."
The overall theme this year is "a bit darker, maybe even more refined, but with the same exuberance, and riotious energy," Kobayashi said. "Definitely a little darker."
The two main headliners for The Bender are Kieran Butler and Ayebatonye.
Butler is a visual and performance artist from Sydney, who will be doing both a headline show and one-on-one experiences.
Ayebatonye is a DJ, artist, curator and founder/creative director of Irregular Fit.
I'm really excited to bring them here," Kobayashi said.
As Newcastle has changed, so has The Bender, while still keeping its own creative DNA.
"In early years, I was thinking of things that weren't happening," Kobayashi said. "Now, those spaces are being taken up by other organisations. So the role of The Bender takes a new shape."
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
