It’s August, which means it’s time for another newsletter! Lots has happened in the past few months and there are some fun projects in the works.
Gabi pictured alongside Mikali Anagnostis and Erin Lewis, snapped by Toby Anagnostis.
Marion St Debut EP
Marion St is a sacred arts project that I have co-founded this year with my dear friend Mikali Anagnostis. The project aims to create, record and resource new worship music, centring voices from the margins of the church, and our debut EP is out now!
‘Whole’ features four gorgeous songs written by Mikali, and I play flute on two of the tracks. Mikali is an incredibly talented songwriter who evokes vivid images, often tied to land or community, that offer hope for a world restored. You can stream the EP now, read about it in Insights Magazine, and even purchase sheet music. Follow us on Instagram for updates about future releases.
Featured Poetry Set for Make Art: Open Stage, Open Wall
In June, Annandale Creative Arts Centre held their first Make Art: Open Stage, Open Wall evening and I was the featured performer! I performed a set of poems from my draft manuscript (which is now 100 pages!) about embodiment, queerness and the sacred, and it was wonderful to tell parts of my story and have it be received enthusiastically.
It was also a joy to hear the stories of other poets, musicians and visual artists in the room – some of whom blew me away. It was a lovely space for community sharing and connection, and we hope to do more of these events.
Photographed by Toby Anagnostis.
Creative Conversations: be longing
Also coming up at Annandale Creative Arts Centre, I am part of their Creative Conversations event in the Sydney Fringe Festival. A cohort of incredible artists from lots of different disciplines are coming together to create work on the theme of mental health and “be longing”, and the process of creating in conversation with each other has been delightful.
I am composing a work for flute and loop pedal, structured around the ways that queer people unravel our understandings of who we are and how we belong to community, toward deeper authenticity. There are two performances, on 22nd and 23rd September, though I’m not yet sure whether I’ll be performing at one or both (keep updated via my Instagram). Would be great to see some familiar faces there.
Photographed by Henry Paul.
Photoshoot
Back in May I did a gender euphoria photoshoot with the incredible Henry Paul, and I have just redesigned my website to include some of their stunning photos. You can find more on my Instagram grid.