meet me at the next stop is a mixed media installation exploring the everyday struggles, anxieties and joys of Western Sydney artists, all displayed on a public bus stop.

 meet me at the next stop is an anthology-style mixed media immersive installation exploring everyday experiences in Western Sydney. Staged on a replica bus stop with unexpected artistic elements, audiences are invited into the struggles, anxieties and joys of the artists’ everyday lives.

The entire art piece is a metal replica bus stop, complete with a bench, side panel with screen advertisement and timetable pole, erected on a wooden platform with slight ramps for easy wheelchair access. A scrolling LED text box (where the bus-stop name would be) contains our Acknowledgement of Country. Across the bench is a pair of ‘lost’ headphones connected to a hidden mp3 player that plays audio pieces of two different, waiting bus passengers: Keys, Wallet, Mask and A Keen Sense of Lateness. On the time table pole, there is an iPad playing a video piece called Bus to Bankstown. The TV screen plays an ongoing 1-minute silent satirical video advertisement titled Rise and Grind Inc. On the other side is a poster advertising the same product. At the back of the bus stop is a collage piece on fabric called Portraits of Comfort.

Bus stops and public transportation play a huge role in the landscape of Western Sydney. Many areas have limited public transportation options so people are dependent on train and bus schedules. meet me at the next stop was designed as a reprieve from the everyday commute, a portal to the artists’ experiences for a brief moment.

“The Area” is often perceived as a geographic monolith; in fact, ‘Western Sydney’ as a place and a concept changes drastically from Blacktown to Bankstown; from Campbelltown to Casula; from Mount Druitt to Miller. The only constants that remain is the need for all communities to have pockets of artistry, vibrancy and culture in their everyday lives; and the ubiquitous public bus stop.

meet me at the next stop made its debut appearance at the 2022 FUNPARK Festival. It was later at Blacktown Arts from November 18th to December 3rd 2022. 

You can see photos of the work (by Saarah Hanif) and from the opening night below.

This project was developed with the support of the NSW Government through Create NSW. 

INDIVIDUAL ARTWORK CREDITS

Rise and Grind Inc. 

Director and cinematographer: Diego Murillo

Producer: Samantha Barahona

Writers: Tracy Guo, Shawn Spina, Tanita Razaghi

Cast: Evan Adam (Jimmy), Marie-Jo Orbase (June), Ayah Darwich (Mikki), Adam McPhilbin (Capitalism)

Costume and set designer: Sandra May

Writing consultants: Miranda Aguilar, Sandra May

Camera assistant: Tracy Guo

BTS: Shawn Spina

Production assistant: Tanita Razaghi

Graphics & design: Diego Murillo, Huy Nguyen