Axlebone is a new project for Bryony Anderson, pushing into unknown territory but backed by 26 years of experience as a designer, maker, and creative director. From a design foundation, the focus will be on envisioning possible futures with young people, and developing readiness for uncertain times. We’ll also continue making and designing for performance, and will be seeking collaborations with like and unlike minds. The keystones: connection, process, and respect for the land.
Axlebone follows One Off Makery, established in 2011 in an off-grid shed in the mountains of NSW, which focused on developing a vocabulary of techniques for working with salvaged materials and including local community in creative projects. A series of participatory projects ensued and Frugal Arts was formed with a group of local women. Together they ran the Frugal Forest Project, which spanned three years, included over 1100 participants from preschool to aged care, and toured to regional galleries around NSW.
A student of sculptor Ian Gentle, Bryony staged her first solo exhibition in 1997 and graduated from University of Wollongong in 1999. She was Trainee Puppetmaker with Company Skylark, a position rarely seen in Australia. Since then she has designed and constructed puppets and performance objects for many Australian companies, including Terrapin, Monkey Baa Theatre, Erth, Circus Monoxide, My Darling Patricia, Theatre of Image and Born in a Taxi. Her work has toured nationally and internationally and appeared in galleries, festivals and museums. She has led over 120 workshops in rural, desert and urban communities, and continues to mentor emerging artists.
In 2019 a six month residency with Terrapin Puppet Theatre in nipaluna/Hobart turned into four years, first as Resident Designer and then as Lead Maker and Head of Workshop. In that time a thriving workshop has been established, training makers, producing shows and developing systems for sustainable practice. We’ve built three touring shows, a performance tailored for aged care settings, a creative learning program for schools, two roving acts, and an outdoor spectacular in that time.
From 2024, Bryony will focus on sustainability and training with Terrapin, make room for new collaborations and explore the territory where climate, disaster and imagination meet.
Axlebone pays respect to the lands, waterways and skies that make life possible, and to all those who honour them. We live and work, gratefully, on unceded palawa/pakana lands.