2016

"No one thought he was who he was. But he was." - Rodney Hall

Fairweather is a collaboration of poet Rodney Hall, composer Erik Griswold and artist Glen Henderson exploring the remarkable life, work, and psychology of artist Ian Fairweather. This multi-media work is scored for string quartet, koto virtuoso Satsuki Odamura, with Rodney Hall himself as narrator, framed by Henderson's evocative video works.

Starting from the artist's early years in Scotland, Fairweather traces his experiences as a soldier in World War I, his myriad travels through the Asia-Pacific, his life changing journey aboard a home-made raft, and his final years in a dilapidated shack on Bribie Island.

Reflecting on scenes, events and images from the artist's life, Griswold, Hall, and Henderson create a collage of music, text, and image which mirror the intricate, textured layers of Fairweather's paintings.

"'Fairweather,' the evolving collaboration between poet Rodney Hall, video artist Glen Henderson and composer Erik Griswold...takes shape as a painter approaches a canvas, layer upon layer eventually yielding a glorious masterpiece. Featuring Satsuki Odamura on koto and the Kurilpa String Quartet with Hall's narration, 'Fairweather' is deceptively economic in delivery, and a harrowing and richly textured journey of perseverance and redemption through art."

- Vincent Plush, The Australian