In Habit is a pilot arts initiative begun in 2007 proposed by artistic director Jude Anderson in collaboration with The Abbotsford Convent.

In-Habit provides an arena for arts research and cultural exchange investigations on a heritage site in a city characterized by its multi culturalism.

It is founded upon two artistic research principles:
• exploration of site/place/space and
• investigation of cultural exchange

Each site/place/space research project is an applied laboratory where, alongside art form development, experiences in cultural reciprocity are initiated, tested and evaluated.

These laboratories encourage dialogue and exchange of differing techniques and approaches to:
- mutual investigations,
- arts research and making,
- interdisciplinary and collaborative practice,
- the creation of cultural networks, pathways and long term associations.

Archived here are some folders, files and photos stemming from the In-Habit research.
All documents are in PDF format.

1. In Defining the Brief you’ll find:
• How In-Habit began – the first step that led to a big project
• What the centre is - A first ‘issues’ draft statement stemming from a paper delivered by Clayton Campbell Co Executive Director of 18th Street Arts Complex in Santa Monica California in 1999.
• In-Habit arts and Cultural Exchange Mission - The final brief of activity and purpose.


2. The first In-habit gathering brought experts in the field of international arts research and cultural exchange together for a tour, lunch and discussion.

In The First In-Habit gathering you’ll find
• First meeting Welcome Booklet – the booklet that the experts in the field of arts and cultural exchange had with them on the very first day of In-habit to inform their Abbotsford Convent tour and to assist dialogue about what form cultural exchange might take for the In-habit initiative.
• Original Talk – the talk that Jude Anderson gave on the same day following her research into cultural exchange.
• Nick Hill’s vignettes – Nick Hill facilitated the first In-Habit gathering and these are his vignette notes from the day.
• About exchange – Jude Anderson’s summarising of the day’s discussion
• Notes from each table – participants’ suggestions and questions from each of the round table discussions.

3. ‘Invitation to An Instant’ is the second In-habit gathering – a durational improvisation, that included a tour and conversation at Handsome Steve’s on site House of Refreshment, which ran for a week during the 2008 Melbourne International Festival.

In Invitation to an Instant you’ll find:
• Punctum’s Invitation to Artists – which outlines the ‘Instant’ adventure
• Invitation to an Instant Booklet – which artists received to inform their tour and assist their considerations
• Conversation results – suggestions regarding forms of arts research and cultural exchange from all the artists who participated in ‘Invitation to an Instant’
• Quantative data following Invitation to an Instant – all the stats
• A list of ‘Instant Actions’ that artists from the tour decided to ivestigate at a nominated date in 2009

4. ‘Invitation to an Instant at Melbourne International Arts Festival (MIAF)’ is the third In-Habit gathering and results from a Besen Family Trust sponsorship that provided regional artists participating in the In-Habit Instant with free tickets to works of their selection during the festival.


In Invitation to an Instant at MIAF you will find a record of the post show critiques conducted as conversations with the artists.
The works responded to were:
• Kitten - Jenny Kemp, and the Book of Longing - Phillip Glass and Leonard Cohen
• The Oak Tree - Tim Crouch
• Symphonica Antarctica – DJ Spooky

In 2009 following the shaping of an arts research mission and a call for Expressions of Interest, artists were brought together to inhabit the convent over 12 months to develop works informed by investigations into site/place/space and cultural exchange.


In In-Habit 2009 you will find:
• EOI – the Expression of interest criteria created for selecting artists
• Introductory research quotes/notes for the first 2009 meeting on Feb 9th
• An In-Habit manifesto to help provoke discussion and guide artists in the often murky cross over area of working in arts research, cultural exchange and community
• 2009 meeting #1 February notes – after the fires
• 2009 meeting#2 April notes – lines of research
• 2009 Arts research proposition guidelines handed out to assist artists to define their research
• 2009 Katerina and Jason’s research proposition for May gathering 2009
• 2009 #3 May notes – following thoughts on evaluation, process mini manifesto’s guided by katerina and Jason
• 2009 #4 June notes – Evaluation with experts Martin Mulligan, Lachlan Macdowall. Facilitated by Ian Cummings as part of his Australia Council Fellowship
• 2009 #5 July notes – The shape of things to come - part 1
• 2009 #6 August notes – The shape of things to come - part 2
• 2009 #7 September notes – Production Clinic
• 2009 #8 October notes – The Gift and the Given – what we give and do we charge?
• 2009 #9 November notes – Some feedback and update time
• 2009 #10 December notes – What we need to know about marketing and distribution with Jon Harris

Many thinkers, artists, and speakers have informed our research.

Below, in Further Reading and Links you’ll find a few of the papers and references we’ve unearthed and referred to along the way.

Clayton Campbell - 18th street Arts Complex - an Arts Centre.pdf
Jacques Ranciere.pdf
Jonathen Nossiter.pdf
Malcolm Miles - Critical Practice - Art, intervention and Pow.pdf
Malcolm Miles - Reclaiming the public sphere.pdf
Malcolm Miles - Post Modern Aesthetics and Environmentlism.pdf
Malcolm Miles - Whose City Whose Culture.pdf

And finally Evaluation.

In Evaluation you’ll find:
• Turning the Evaluation Elephant into a Lamp – how evaluation might become a creative investigation
• Suggestions for evaluation – a couple of In-Habit artists propose some ideas on evaluation
• Appreciative Enquiry – streams of thought and avenues of approach proposed by Martin Mulligan