# The Unconformity

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Art festival in Queenstown, Western Tasmania

**The Unconformity** (formerly the **Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival**) is an arts festival held in [Queenstown, Tasmania](/source/Queenstown%2C_Tasmania) in [Australia](/source/Australia).

Held on the [West Coast](/source/Western_Tasmania), the festival is a biennial event. Elements of the festival capture a change in the fate of [Western Tasmanian](/source/Western_Tasmania) 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.[1]

### 2012 event

The 2012 event included events and exhibitions which commemorated the centenary of the [North Mount Lyell disaster](/source/North_Mount_Lyell_disaster), with enactments that echoed the events of 1912.[2][3][4][5]

The [West Coast Wilderness Railway](/source/West_Coast_Wilderness_Railway) was involved in the 2012 celebrations, with a re-enactment of transporting victims to the Queenstown cemetery.[6]

The festival partnered with Hobart-based Inflight ARI, to commission five site-specific contemporary artworks around Queenstown and Linda.[7] Tasmanian artists have utilised old buildings and space in Queenstown for working with their artworks.[8]

The Friday forum at the Queenstown RSL "North Lyell Mine Disaster Forum" included [Geoffrey Blainey](/source/Geoffrey_Blainey). The wide range of sponsors for the festival include local businesses such as the historic [Empire Hotel](/source/Empire_Hotel%2C_Queenstown).[9]

### 2014 event

The event was held again in 2014.[10][11]

### 2016 event

The festival changed its name to *The Unconformity*[12][13] and was held on 14 and 16 October,[14][15][16][17] with a substantial crowd at the opening events.[18][19]

The grand finale of the festival is a football match on the [Queenstown Oval](/source/Queenstown_Oval%2C_Tasmania).[20]

### 2018 event

The second event with the new name was held in October 2018.[21]

### 2020 and 2021 event

Due to the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/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, [went into a 3-day lockdown](/source/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Tasmania#October_lockdown) at 6pm. It was triggered when a man with the [Delta variant](/source/Delta_variant) escaped from hotel quarantine and was moving about in the community, before police located him the next day.[22]

### 2023 event

The 2023 festival took place on the 19-22 October.[23] As with previous festivals, it included site-specific art and performances that engaged with Queenstown's distinctive landscape and mining history.[24]

### 2025 event

The event is set to take place between 16-19 October 2025.[25]

## 2020s

In 2022 the regional director in Queenstown is artist [Helena Demczuk](/source/Helena_Demczuk).[26]

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.[27]

## Records

- Materials at - The Unconformity (Festival) (Queenstown, Tas.) (2016), [*The Unconformity : \[collection of brochures\]*](https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/250477517), The Unconformity, retrieved 22 January 2023

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) (2012), [*Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival*](https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/202919916), Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival, retrieved 22 January 2023

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Bryan, Selina (12 October 2012). ["Mine disaster remembered - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)"](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-12/mine-disaster-rememberred/4309092?section=tas). *ABC News*. Abc.net.au. Retrieved 4 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Bryan, Selina (18 July 2012). ["Queenstown to mark mining disaster centenary - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)"](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-18/town-to-mark-mining-disaster-centenary/4139006). *ABC News*. Abc.net.au. Retrieved 4 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Marking a mining disaster"](https://open.abc.net.au/posts/marking-a-mining-disaster-54mo2wi). TAS: Open.abc.net.au. Retrieved 4 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.); Hicks, Peter, (performer.); Da Vida, Alma, (performer.); Simon de Little Digital Video Production (production company) (2013), [*Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival 2012, 12-14 October : centenary of the North Lyell Mine Disaster*](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/182594158), [Queenstown, Tasmania] Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival, retrieved 24 May 2016{{[citation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Citation)}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_multiple_names:_authors_list))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Selina Bryan (12 October 2012). ["A steam train re-enacts the funeral procession for miners killed at Queenstown in 1912. - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)"](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-12/mine-100-trainjpg/4309506). Abc.net.au. Retrieved 4 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Hawthorne, Lucy (2012). ["Inflight ARI in partnership with Queenstown Heritage Festival"](https://www.artlink.com.au/articles/3896/inflight-ari-in-partnership-with-queenstown-heritage-festival/). *Artlink*. **32** (4): 82–83. Retrieved 7 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Elizabeth Lord. ["Reflecting on mining town"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130127215950/http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/10/05/363169_style.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/10/05/363169_style.html) on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Queenstown, Tasmania"](http://www.empirehotel.net.au/). The Empire Hotel. Retrieved 4 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) (issuing body.) (2014), [*Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival : no ordinary place. no ordinary festival*](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/192129464), [Queenstown, Tasmania] Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival, retrieved 24 May 2016

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) (2010), [*Festival programme*](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/37681650), Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival, retrieved 24 May 2016

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Queenstown Heritage & Arts Festival (Tas.) (2016), [*The Unconformity : \[poster\]*](https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/246545100), The Unconformit Festival, retrieved 22 January 2023

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Product"](http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/event/theunconformity).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Home"](http://www.theunconformity.com.au/). *theunconformity.com.au*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Lehman, Ros; Gibson, Sallese (31 August 2016). ["Arts festival drills down to heart of Tasmania's mining west coast"](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-31/unconformity-festival-drilling-down-to-heart-of-west-coast/7801626). *ABC News*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Arts festival seeks cooler customer"](http://www.themercury.com.au/entertainment/events/queenstown-heritage-and-arts-festival-to-be-rebranded-the-unconformity/news-story/d27ad1053b47ac4473cbf9ccf70faf04). *The Mercury*. 12 September 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Home - Tasmanian Times"](http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/pr-article/the-unconformity-festival-launched-for-2016/). 21 August 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Howarth, Carla (15 October 2016). ["Queenstown's the Unconformity arts festival helping reshape mining region"](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-15/queenstown-the-unconformity-festival-begins/7935648). *ABC News*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["7AD 98.9FM Devonport - 7AD"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161018204932/http://www.7ad.com.au/breakfast-with-darren/58340-the-unconformity-queenstown). Archived from [the original](http://www.7ad.com.au/breakfast-with-darren/58340-the-unconformity-queenstown) on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** [http://theunconformity.com.au/events/grand-finale-unconformity-cup/Grand](http://theunconformity.com.au/events/grand-finale-unconformity-cup/Grand) Finale – The Unconformity Cup - Queenstown Crows Football Club

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["The Unconformity 2018 | pictures, photos"](https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5712894/the-unconformity-2018-pictures-photos/). 20 October 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-abc-tas-sth-lckdwn-15oct'21_22-0)** ["Hobart region enters three-day lockdown after COVID hotel quarantine breach"](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-15/hobart-three-day-lockdown-after-covid-hotel-breach/100542270). *ABC News*. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** ["Festival schedule"](https://2023.theunconformity.com.au/schedule/). *The Unconformity*. Retrieved 7 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Hawthorne, Lucy (11 November 2023). ["Festival review: The Unconformity, Queenstown"](https://www.artshub.com.au/news/reviews/festival-review-the-unconformity-queenstown-2678268/). *ArtsHub*. Retrieved 7 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["Schedule | The Unconformity"](https://2025.theunconformity.com.au/schedule/). *The Unconformity*. Retrieved 9 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** Watts, Richard (13 November 2022). ["On the move: Latest sector appointments"](https://www.artshub.com.au/news/news/on-the-move-latest-sector-appointments-57-2593547/). *Arts*. Retrieved 22 January 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** Dalton, Stephanie (29 February 2024). ["The Unconformity festival artistic director and chief executive Travis Tiddy calls time"](https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/the-unconformity-festival-artistic-director-and-chief-executive-travis-tiddy-calls-time/news-story/d782892be7532cd1733e68f799dae301). *[The Mercury](/source/The_Mercury)*. Retrieved 2 March 2024.

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.theunconformity.com.au/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Unconformity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unconformity) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unconformity?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.