Curated Readings

Abstract

Established in 2006, Barking Spider Visual Theatre is a Melbourne-based multi-art form company whose mission is to interpret history and place through community and individual narratives. The company collaborates with public institutions, theatres, schools and festivals to develop and create stories using puppetry, percussion, art-installation, animation/film, sound installation and live performance. The company often creates immersive spaces requiring visitors to move, explore and experience collections, spaces and buildings in unexpected and, occasionally, irreverent ways.This paper presents two performances created by Barking Spider Visual Theatre that were commissioned by libraries to focus on history and context—the library as a repository of collective stories. Liberty of the Press was created for the State Library of Victoria (SLV) in 2014, while the second work, Ex Libris, was developed in 2013 for The Melbourne Athenaeum Library to celebrate History Week. Each work addressed how performance serves to engage and enliven the library as a learning space for the public, and how it can increase the social and cultural value of libraries and their collections.