Over the last two weeks of October the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s Backspace will host free workshops which focus on the written word.  A variety of writing styles will be accommodated, with discussion and exercises designed to encourage creative writing.  Workshops will be facilitated by Karl Schenk, a local author and musician.  Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with a range of interesting exercises that will encourage the production of various forms of prose, poetry, verse and short story.  Budding rap and hip-hop artists might also consider these workshops as a golden opportunity to create and record new work.

Karl  answers some questions about the project below:

What is ‘I Hear what you say’ all about?

This event will introduce the public to Backspace, a new arts venue in Ballarat, where they can work creatively and collaboratively with other people.  “ I hear what you say” is a series of flexible workshops which aims to create an environment that will stimulate writers to produce new material.  Attendees will have the option to experiment with their writing, with the ultimate objective being to record new works to CD.  Attendees will discover these workshops will provide a comfortable environment where they can network with colleagues, peers, artists and other published authors and musicians.  There will be a variety of writing exercises performed in the workshops, however conversation and group discussions will be equally important elements in assisting individuals to develop their work.    

What can attendee’s expect?

Each workshop will cover different writing styles and techniques. The workshops also offer attendees the option to add colour and interest to their writing with sound, as there will be a state-of-the-art musical keyboard and recording device available at the workshops.  Complete with thousands of real and synthetic sounds, participants will have the chance to learn basic compositional skills and have heaps of fun creating and recording soundscapes and/or arrangements suited to match their writing.  Finished compositions will be recorded to CD, with each author having the option to read their work over their arrangement.  Depending on the level of interest, a book of the collected works may also be produced.

Who should consider attending?

All ages are invited to attend.  Workshops will commence at 10 am Backspace on October 18^th and run Monday to Friday over two weeks until October 29^th.  Each session will have a different writing focus and participants may attend as many individual sessions as they please, but all interested persons are encouraged to confirm their attendance in advance.  Each day will be divided into half, with two-hour morning and afternoon workshops on offer. 

What is Backspace?

Backspace is a new arts venue, conveniently located at the rear of the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Camp Street, opposite the BLX. The venue is very close to Ballarat Train Station for those attending from far and wide.

If you are interested contact Karl via  ihearwhatyousay@live.com or ph: 5342 9325