superposition
/ˌsuːpəpəˈzɪʃn/
Quantum Superposition: means that something can exist in many different states at the same time until we look at it, at which point it becomes just one thing.
Geological Superposition: The mountain shows that the oldest rocks are typically at the base with progressively younger layers stacked above, creating a natural archive of time in stone.
Wave Superposition: occurs when two or more waves overlap at the same point in space, combining to create a new wave that is the sum of their individual amplitudes.
ABOUT
Superposition is a new experimental arts festival for the Blue Mountains that entangles artists & audiences with landscapes of profound natural and cultural significance. Drawing inspiration from quantum physics - where multiple states exist simultaneously until observed - geological layers that tell the story of the mountains' emergence, and wave superposition - where waves combine to create new forms - the festival creates meaningful intersections between art, music, nature and community.
Set in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Greater Blue Mountains, Superposition brings together local, national and international artists to create site-responsive works that thoughtfully engage with both the environment and contemporary issues. The festival exists in creative flux, building from the ground up, celebrating local artists and venues while fostering new connections that refract across artistic disciplines. Through this phase shift in how we experience place, Superposition reveals the intricate connections between creative practice, ecological systems, and community knowledge.
FESTIVAL DIRECTORS
Thom Smyth is the founder and director of Unfunded Empathy. Unfunded Empathy is a producing and marketing service for contemporary artists. The organisation seeks radical change; deep connection; sweaty moments of abandonment.
Thom is also a Producer with national creative producing company Performing Lines.
He was Director of arts marketing company Little Shout; was Marketing Manager at Proximity Festival – Australia’s only one-on-one performance platform; was Marketing & Communications Manager at The Blue Room Theatre; was Marketing Manager for Barefaced Stories.
Thom has worked as publicist for PICA, Chunky Move, Mobile States, Fringe World and more.
Thom Smyth
M: 0416 002 560
E: thom@unfundedempathy.com
Sam Watson-Wood is a highly accomplished curator, producer with a diverse background spanning curation, programming, producing, strategy, development, and communication. Her extensive experience includes projects across Australia, Asia and the UK, where she has demonstrated expertise in artistic direction, partnership strategy, audience development, and the ideation and delivery of public programs as well as festival commissions. She has held key roles as the Executive Producer & Artistic Adviser at Performance Space, Festival Director of Art Month and was part of the launch team as Director of Programs and Partnerships at Sydney Contemporary. Prior to this she launched the award winning festival Clerkenwell Design Week in London.
In 2022, Sam launched Friends with Strangers, a socially-engaged cultural organisation that curates multi-disciplinary art experiences that embrace risk, experimentation, advocacy and joy. The mission is to enrich culture and foster community vibrancy and connection by facilitating meaningful engagements with contemporary art, ideas and conversations. Working at the intersection of artistic excellence and social impact to create immersive spaces for critical discourse and reimagining more equitable futures.
Sam Watson - Wood
M: 0418 155 186
E: sam@friendswithstrangers.com.au
PROGRAM STREAMS
Superposition's programming is structured around the natural cycles of the mountains, creating distinct contexts for artistic engagement across dawn, day, dusk, and dark.
DAWN
The dawn program explores site-responsive works that engage with first light. Artists work with the unique conditions of morning light across the escarpment, creating soundworks that invite audiences into states of attention and presence. This stream includes free commissioned works alongside guided experiences that reframe familiar landscapes through artistic intervention.
DAY
Our day programming occupies both natural and built environments throughout the Blue Mountains, with commissioned installations, exhibitions and performances that explore the entanglement between creative practice and place as well as a series of exhibitions and workshops.
DUSK
As light transitions, the dusk program activates sites through works that respond to changing conditions. This stream includes performances that unfold across the threshold between day and night, installations and soundscapes designed to transform through fading light that bring together artists, scientists, and audiences in conversation. Here, we explore how perception shifts as familiar landscapes reconfigure.
DARK
The dark program connects experimental art that respond to celestial landscape. Working with artists in collaboration with the Dark Sky Initiative and Linden Observatory, this stream includes Aboriginal-led star knowledge experiences, astronomical observations, installations, film screenings, parties, performances and experiences under the night sky.
