THINKING GROUND is a space for artists to gather, connect, and spend time collectively unpacking our role in responding to current and future social, environmental and political need. This work is grounded in a fundamental belief in our power as a community, and our capacity to work together to model new ways of living, gathering and working.
Hosted weekly at Theatre Works by VIMH, it will build understanding of the role of civic action in creative practice, empowering independent artists to centre the needs of their communities when creating new work.
Extending on work developed as part of the inaugural THINKING GROUND in partnership with Next Wave and developed further through the Company in Residence program at Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre, VIMH will facilitate this version in five sessions across February and March 2026.
Taking place in three sections every Friday, these sessions are open to local artists and community to share knowledge, swap skills, and build shared understanding on civic and creative practice.
No artistic experience is necessary to participate. If you’re interested in these ideas and want to contribute to this conversation, then we’d love to have you.
Free to attend, session registration is open now.
Session dates
Fri 27 Feb (Theatre Works)
Fri 6 Mar (Explosives Factory)
Fri 13 Mar (Explosives Factory)
Fri 20 Mar (Theatre Works)
Fri 27 Mar (Theatre Works)
Session times
9am – 10am: Bay Clean-Up
Theatre Works acknowledges First Nations’ sovereignty and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities by Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present. We support and contribute to the process of Reconciliation. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.
VIMH shares and extends this acknowledgement through the first session of each THINKING GROUND day, which will build our relationship to the local area beyond Theatre works to St Kilda Bay. Participants will get the chance to connect and work together in a shared effort at local land care.
10.30am – 1pm: Coffee and Conversation
This time will centre questions brought to the group by each individual attendee – about practice, about the purpose and/or function of art right now, about how to build community and equity and resistance into our life and work. No question is too big or small (we spent one fantastic session last April simply swapping recipes for staying warm in winter!).
2pm – 5pm: Co-Working
This will be an opportunity to do your own thing in our space: silent communal time for practice (not emails, not admin). Thinking time. Dreaming time. Listening time. Writing time. This is an opportunity to put all the distractions down for a couple of hours and work, in solidarity and with company, as an artist.
Snacks provided.
SIGN-UP DETAILS
This session structure is modular – you can join us just for the morning clean-up, or you might only be able to get to us after lunch. Sign-up is free and it just gives us a sense of who to expect when – you’re free to come and go within each session.
Rego can be found here.
This project is proudly supported by the City of Port Phillip Cultural Development Fund.
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