{{Short description|Art festival in Queenstown, Western Tasmania}} {{Use Australian English|date=May 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}} '''The Unconformity''' (formerly the '''Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival''') is an arts festival held in [[Queenstown, Tasmania]] in [[Australia]].
Held on the [[Western Tasmania|West Coast]], the festival is a biennial event. Elements of the festival capture a change in the fate of [[Western Tasmania]]n communities, where mining ventures and other industries are reduced and population declines, but where the heritage and legacy of the communities remains.
== History == The festival commenced in 2010 as the Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival.<ref>{{Citation | author1=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) | title=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival | publication-date=2012 | publisher=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/202919916 | access-date=22 January 2023}}</ref>
===2012 event=== The 2012 event included events and exhibitions which commemorated the centenary of the [[North Mount Lyell disaster]], with enactments that echoed the events of 1912.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bryan |first=Selina |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-12/mine-disaster-rememberred/4309092?section=tas |title=Mine disaster remembered - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |newspaper=ABC News |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=2012-10-12 |access-date=2014-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Bryan |first=Selina |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-18/town-to-mark-mining-disaster-centenary/4139006 |title=Queenstown to mark mining disaster centenary - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |newspaper=ABC News |date=18 July 2012 |publisher=Abc.net.au |access-date=2014-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://open.abc.net.au/posts/marking-a-mining-disaster-54mo2wi |title=Marking a mining disaster |location=TAS |publisher=Open.abc.net.au |access-date=2014-02-04}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | author1=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) | author2=Hicks, Peter, (performer.) | author3=Da Vida, Alma, (performer.) | author4=Simon de Little Digital Video Production (production company) | title=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival 2012, 12-14 October : centenary of the North Lyell Mine Disaster | date=2013 | publisher=[Queenstown, Tasmania] Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/182594158 | access-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref>
The [[West Coast Wilderness Railway]] was involved in the 2012 celebrations, with a re-enactment of transporting victims to the Queenstown cemetery.<ref>{{cite web|author=Selina Bryan |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-12/mine-100-trainjpg/4309506 |title=A steam train re-enacts the funeral procession for miners killed at Queenstown in 1912. - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=2012-10-12 |access-date=2014-02-04}}</ref>
The festival partnered with Hobart-based Inflight ARI, to commission five site-specific contemporary artworks around Queenstown and Linda.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hawthorne |first1=Lucy |title=Inflight ARI in partnership with Queenstown Heritage Festival |journal=Artlink |date=2012 |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=82-83 |url=https://www.artlink.com.au/articles/3896/inflight-ari-in-partnership-with-queenstown-heritage-festival/ |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref> Tasmanian artists have utilised old buildings and space in Queenstown for working with their artworks.<ref>{{cite web|author=Elizabeth Lord |url=http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/10/05/363169_style.html |title=Reflecting on mining town |access-date=12 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127215950/http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/10/05/363169_style.html |archive-date=27 January 2013 }}</ref>
The Friday forum at the Queenstown RSL "North Lyell Mine Disaster Forum" included [[Geoffrey Blainey]]. The wide range of sponsors for the festival include local businesses such as the historic [[Empire Hotel, Queenstown|Empire Hotel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empirehotel.net.au/ |title=Queenstown, Tasmania |publisher=The Empire Hotel |access-date=2014-02-04}}</ref>
===2014 event=== The event was held again in 2014.<ref>{{Citation | author1=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) (issuing body.) | title=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival : no ordinary place. no ordinary festival | date=2014 | publisher=[Queenstown, Tasmania] Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/192129464 | access-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | author1=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) | title=Festival programme | date=2010 | publisher=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/37681650 | access-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref>
===2016 event=== The festival changed its name to ''The Unconformity''<ref>{{Citation | author1=Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) | title=The Unconformity : [poster] | publication-date=2016 | publisher=The Unconformit Festival | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/246545100 | access-date=22 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/event/theunconformity|title=Product}}</ref> and was held on 14 and 16 October,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theunconformity.com.au/ |title=Home |website=theunconformity.com.au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-31/unconformity-festival-drilling-down-to-heart-of-west-coast/7801626|title = Arts festival drills down to heart of Tasmania's mining west coast|newspaper = ABC News|date = 31 August 2016|last1 = Lehman|first1 = Ros|last2 = Gibson|first2 = Sallese}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.themercury.com.au/entertainment/events/queenstown-heritage-and-arts-festival-to-be-rebranded-the-unconformity/news-story/d27ad1053b47ac4473cbf9ccf70faf04|title = Arts festival seeks cooler customer|newspaper = The Mercury|date = 12 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/pr-article/the-unconformity-festival-launched-for-2016/|title = Home - Tasmanian Times| date=21 August 2015 }}</ref> with a substantial crowd at the opening events.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-15/queenstown-the-unconformity-festival-begins/7935648|title=Queenstown's the Unconformity arts festival helping reshape mining region|newspaper=ABC News|date=15 October 2016|last1=Howarth|first1=Carla}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.7ad.com.au/breakfast-with-darren/58340-the-unconformity-queenstown|title=7AD 98.9FM Devonport - 7AD|access-date=15 October 2016|archive-date=18 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018204932/http://www.7ad.com.au/breakfast-with-darren/58340-the-unconformity-queenstown|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The grand finale of the festival is a football match on the [[Queenstown Oval, Tasmania|Queenstown Oval]].<ref>http://theunconformity.com.au/events/grand-finale-unconformity-cup/Grand Finale – The Unconformity Cup - Queenstown Crows Football Club</ref>
===2018 event=== The second event with the new name was held in October 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5712894/the-unconformity-2018-pictures-photos/|title=The Unconformity 2018 | pictures, photos|date=20 October 2018}}</ref>
=== 2020 and 2021 event === Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] the 2020 event was postponed until 2021. The 2021 event was cancelled the day it was due to start as that day Tasmania's southern region of 11 LGAs, [[COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania#October lockdown|went into a 3-day lockdown]] at 6pm. It was triggered when a man with the [[Delta variant]] escaped from hotel quarantine and was moving about in the community, before police located him the next day.<ref name="abc-tas-sth-lckdwn-15oct'21">{{cite news |title=Hobart region enters three-day lockdown after COVID hotel quarantine breach |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-15/hobart-three-day-lockdown-after-covid-hotel-breach/100542270 |access-date=15 October 2021 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=15 October 2021 |language=en-AU}}</ref>
===2023 event===
The 2023 festival took place on the 19-22 October.<ref>{{cite web |title=Festival schedule |url=https://2023.theunconformity.com.au/schedule/ |website=The Unconformity |access-date=7 January 2025}}</ref> As with previous festivals, it included site-specific art and performances that engaged with Queenstown's distinctive landscape and mining history.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hawthorne |first1=Lucy |title=Festival review: The Unconformity, Queenstown |url=https://www.artshub.com.au/news/reviews/festival-review-the-unconformity-queenstown-2678268/ |access-date=7 January 2025 |work=ArtsHub |date=11 November 2023}}</ref>
=== 2025 event === The event is set to take place between 16-19 October 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schedule {{!}} The Unconformity |url=https://2025.theunconformity.com.au/schedule/ |access-date=9 September 2025 |website=The Unconformity}}</ref>
== 2020s ==
In 2022 the regional director in Queenstown is artist [[Helena Demczuk]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Watts |first=Richard |date=2022-11-13 |title=On the move: Latest sector appointments |url=https://www.artshub.com.au/news/news/on-the-move-latest-sector-appointments-57-2593547/ |access-date=2023-01-22 |website=Arts}}</ref>
Artistic director and chief executive Travis Tiddy stepped down from their position in 2024 after 15 years working with the Queenstown Heritage and Art Festival and Unconformity.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dalton |first=Stephanie |date=29 February 2024 |title=The Unconformity festival artistic director and chief executive Travis Tiddy calls time |url=https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/the-unconformity-festival-artistic-director-and-chief-executive-travis-tiddy-calls-time/news-story/d782892be7532cd1733e68f799dae301 |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=[[The Mercury]]}}</ref>
== Records == * Materials at - {{Citation | author1=The Unconformity (Festival) (Queenstown, Tas.) | title=The Unconformity : [collection of brochures] | publication-date=2016 | publisher=The Unconformity | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/250477517 | access-date=22 January 2023}}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{official |http://www.theunconformity.com.au/}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unconformity, The}} [[Category:Queenstown, Tasmania]] [[Category:Festivals in Tasmania]] [[Category:Arts festivals in Australia]]