The Keeper Project is a live public art project embedded in place.
Local artists work as 'Keepers' in a temporary role as observer, explorer, collector and maker within the community. They become the archaeologists of local stories, uncovering the uniqueness of a place and making visible the things that go unseen.
One at a time, each of the artists takes the role of The Keeper for a period of three weeks, before passing the role on. During this time, they have a chosen ritual that they will repeat, occurring at a particular place, at a particular time in the public realm.
The Keeper is for everyone.
Chance encounters with the Keepers will happen as people go about their everyday lives. The communities of people experiencing the project will change depending on the place, time and the ritual performed.
The Keepers will be logging their journey like any good explorer, documenting a moment in time and place.
You can follow their accounts on this website or come visit their office in Nambour's 2nd Space.
Keepers are currently in Namba/Nambour until February 2025.
Keepers can pop up anywhere...keep an eye out.
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A little dig into the history of the Keeper Project...
The project concept was first tested in Coolum in 2019 by Sunshine Coast Council in collaboration with Field Theory and three local artists.
In 2021-22, the Keeper Project was rolled out in Coolum for its first full iteration with eleven local artists as Keepers. Red Chair produced the project for the first time working in collaboration with Field Theory and in partnership with Sunshine Coast Council.
The Keeper Project continues its journey in 2024 with eleven local artist Keepers now on the streets of Namba/Nambour until February 2025.
The project continues to be produced by Red Chair in collaboration with Field Theory and in partnership with Sunshine Coast Council with a number of other funders and donors lending their support to the project. As they say, it takes a village.
The project continues to gather momentum as Keepers roll into new communities in 2025 and 2026.
As we keep on keeping on...
The Keeper is produced by Red Chair in collaboration with Field Theory.
The Keeper is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. The Keeper has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.The Keeper is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council in partnership with the Queensland Government through the Regional Arts Development Fund.
