In the wake of the dreadful fire at the Kensington warehouse in January, which saw 18 artists lose all their work and tools, we decided to have a Fabulous Fire Sale Auction to raise funds and the spirits of our artist community. The lovely folk at Parks Victoria have lent us Pipemakers Park in Maribynong, and we plan to have a delicious afternoon of champagne and art buying by the river. WE WANT YOUR ART! A selection of fine art is rapidly accumulating, but it's a big hall, and it needs filling! Please send/drop off your piece soon. We have also had a donation of a gorgeous bedouin tent hire and an actual artist is being auctioned, so ouside the square adds to the fun! A short paragraph about the piece would help me write the auctioneers script too. This will be a profile event, we have some names already, so be a part of it! Email: fabulousfiresale@yahoo.com.au Click here to view map

From the Jan. MEKanarky Newsletter:

Melbourne Artist Factory Fire:

On Wednesday night after New Years Eve, a Massive fire ripped through an artists warehouse complex in Kensington, Melbourne.

Nobody was badly injured in th blaze, but 12 artists lost all their work and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tools as the fire engulfed 3 buildings and razed a recently refitted bus.

The fire began in the early hours of the morning, Phil and Andre suffered burns to their shoulders and feet as they battled the blaze in the nude, after waking to smoke in a post New Years haze. Realising the fire had leapt out of control, they called the fire brigade. The fire swiftly spread to the roof, and leapt to adjoining buildings and Andromeda's bus, parked outside the kitchen.

Artists Phil, Sioux, Ceri, Amadeus, Tony, Andre, Andromeda, Rene, Viva, Andrew and Paul Irvine are well known in Melbourne for their works with Melbourne Underground Dance, Earthcore ,living in Container Installations, corporate sculpture and peculiar tandems, cycles and hybrid bikes, pedaling the streets of Melbourne.

Paul Irvine and Phil were set to embark this week on a Cafe Container, that now looks unlikely to be completed with no workshop or tools to build it with. And the guy who stored his life savings in a brass munitions shell found only plastic goo inside.

"Everything’s just melted and fucked" said Paul, who's warehouse was adjoining where the fire began "Even the stuff that's there is heat damaged and useless"

A Magnificent Art Auction is to be held in 4 weeks, and all artists are asked to donate a piece, for what is certain to be a night to remember. A fundraiser to offset what must be one of an artist’s worst nightmares.

Click here for article in The Age

And here for Mooney Valley Comunity News

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