SYLVIA SCHWENK / NAVAL NOVELLA

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Congratulations to Sylvia Schwenk whose video work Naval Novella has been selected as a finalist in the 38th Alice Art Prize at the Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs. The exhibition will run from 9 May - 15 June 2014. Naval Novella has also been selected for the 12th IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival, in Bulgaria. The festival will take place from 28 June to 4 July 2014.

Naval Novella by Sylvia Schwenk is a clever film with interviews, physical workouts and anecdotes presented as a revealing and engaging video work.

The work demystifies the Navy breaking down some of the barriers that exist between Defence personnel and civilians. The video shows the human side of the Navy uniquely allowing people to access a closed culture in an inviting way. The work is anchored by the naval tradition of tattoos and gruelling physical training done with ‘the rope’, a symbol of union, mateship and stability. Short stories by people who talk about their tattoos or their lack thereof are intertwined throughout the work.