Six Walks Ep 3: Eleanor Jackson on art, motherhood & taking up space in the Melbourne Arts Precinct

This episode featuring Eleanor Jackson is part of Six Walks an audio walking tour series commissioned by ACCA – Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Find bio, access notes, images and further information here: https://acca.melbourne/six-walks-episode-three-eleanor-jackson/ ABOUT THIS EPISODE: New parents are frequently told about the importance of art in a child’s development. From fostering creativity to visual, motor and social skills, art is considered a vehicle for enriching children’s communication abilities, nourishing new thoughts, and aiding expressive exploration. But how do we locate motherhood out of the domestic space and into the public realm, particularly the worlds of contemporary and public art? In her piece for Six Walks, Eleanor Jackson considers the ways in which mothers and caretakers occupy public space, blurring and reinforcing conventional understandings of mothering – using galleries, parks, libraries and the streets in a manner not always anticipated by planners and designers – all the while performing the role of “being mothers” with all the associated complex, gendered connotations that this brings. Eleanor Jackson is a Filipino Australian poet, performer, and arts producer. She is the producer of the Melbourne Poetry Map, Vice-Chair of the Stella Prize and a Board Member of Queensland Poetry Festival. Eleanor is currently Chair, and was formerly Editor in Chief, of Peril Magazine, an online magazine celebrating Asian Australian arts and culture. Read extended bio via the link above. Curator: Annika Kristensen Audio technician: Simon Cotter ABOUT THE SERIES: Six Walks has been conceived to be ideally listened to in situ, with headphones on a personal mobile device. Maps, directions and access notes are available with each walk to assist with orientation. ACCA reminds participants to be aware of their surroundings and to adhere to road safety guidelines at all times. Please note that when undertaking a walk, participants must assume personal responsibility for any liability, injury, loss, or damage in any way connected with their experience of Six Walks. Six Walks can also be listened to from anywhere and at any time and Text versions of each walk are available for download. ACCA acknowledges the support of Creative Victoria in the development of the Six Walks series.