Back-Breeding, 2023, performance, film stills, wool, on Amangu Country, eight voices and field recordings, John Deere 1986 Tractor, 11:00 mins.

Intertwining vocal workshops, community rituals, and farm practices, Tina Stefanou's work considers the value of grain and wool to her Wheatbelt host. Stefanou reimagines activities originating from a romanticised perception of regional life. In doing so, she draws on the emotive force of nostalgia for a past commonly seen in rural communities.

"Back-breeding" refers to the process of breeding livestock to revive disappearing traits, including those of extinct species. This attempt to reverse the past contrasts with current realities influenced by climate crises and socio-economic shifts.

Concept/Director

Tina Stefanou

Cinematography

Wil Normyle

Edit

Wil Normyle

Production Assistance

Donna Franklin

Sound design

Joseph Franklin

Colour grade

Tim Wreyford

Co-producers

The North Midlands Project, Andrew Bowman and Louisa Cole

Featured performers

Marcell Billinghurst, Jessica Parker, Cassie Ulijn, Cody Parker, Kane Parker, Jaydee Wilmot, Jazmyne Wilmot, Tina Stefanou, Jackson the Horse, Mikey Turner, Scott and Frankie Bowman, and Angela Dring

Installation documentation at Art Gallery of Western Australia for the Rural Utopias exhibition

Dan McCabe

Curator

Miranda Johnson

Support from Creative Australia and SPACED