Patrons at 2003's Here and Now exhibition in the TC Bierne Centre. Photographs by Siobhan Thankur, Ilona Cook, Susan Kukucka and more.

Why are we doing SOOB?

The following text appears in the 2006 SOOB Program.

A change is good as a holiday. By that reasoning, a holiday that brings about a change should be even better, right? After the 2004 festival, SOOB took a year off. We wanted to evaluate the festival and determine its relevance. Taking stock of the artistic climate in Brisbane circa 2005 and 2006, we found that since the festival’s inception in 2002 the more things change, the more they say the same – for better and for worse.

We’re happy to be presenting the 4th SOOB festival, albeit with some differences from previous years. Perhaps the most noticeable change about this year’s SOOB is a calendar move from December to August. Through this, we hope to keep things fresh for everyone involved with SOOB in any way, shape and form. SOOB now fills a mid year gap for independent arts that is just as important to those of us who are underfunded and under-appreciated.

A further change is that this year’s SOOB returns to a one week festival format. Although the fortnight experiment of SOOB 2004 increased the opportunities for local and interstate artists to display their wares, a return to a one week makes sense. This year’s program looks to be our strongest yet, with high-profile international artists jetsetting to Australia specifically for our festival alongside an outstanding local and national bill. This is a culmination of previous festivals, as the emerging and independent talents at past SOOBs have grown along with the festival.

The SOOB Festival Club for 2006 is located at 610 Ann Street in Fortitude Valley, familiar to many Brisbane artists as an underground artist-run space in past years. After several years of utilising found spaces as festival clubs, we’re fortunate to have an opportunity to develop a preexisting space into an independent venue that is affordable, accessible and supportive of independent and emerging artists.

Credit and commendation must be given to all of the artists and performers, content co-ordinators, sponsors, friends of SOOB and volunteers who have helped make this years SOOB (not to mention past years’) a reality. Without your tireless dedication, often on a volunteer basis, this festival would not be the event it is.

We’d like to thank you for sticking around Brisbane through thick and thin, and positively contributing to our city’s cultural development. As artists and consumers of art ourselves, the sheer quality of esoteric, groundbreaking and culturally vital art produced by Brisbane’s emerging arts community is continually inspiring. Thank you, and we hope to see you all in your various guises at this and future SOOB’s.

Andrew Tuttle, Alex Tucker, Matt Fraser, Gen Canavan and Ben Eltham
The 2006 SOOB Festival Management Team

The SOOB organisation acknowledges the Turrbal people as the Traditional Land owners of Brisbane. SOOB recognises and respects their cultural heritage, beliefs and continuing relationship with land.