STORMBORNE | Jen Valender
30 May – 30 June 2025 | Alpha60 Chapter House, Melbourne
Filmed during a winter residency at Police Point on the Mornington Peninsula, Stormborne captures a season of storms and rising winds along Australia’s vulnerable coastline.
At its centre are sculptural drums, built from recycled local materials and an antique weather map. These instruments are played not by hand, but by the wind and rain—activated during inclement weather to translate atmospheric forces and generate haunting, percussive sound.
Projected across the walls of Alpha60’s Chapter House, the dual-channel film installation draws audiences into a visceral meditation on ecological fragility, climate history and the intensifying rhythm of coastal change.
The exhibition opens with a one-night-only performance event on Friday 30 May 6–8pm featuring live jazz percussionist Alastair Kerr & Associates (6pm) and the thunderous Wadaiko Rindo Taiko drumming troupe (6.30pm), extending the elemental experience into live movement and sound.
Stormborne is accompanied by the Stormborne Artist Series, a limited-edition collection of weatherproof garments created by Alpha60 and Jen Valender, inspired by the sculptural forms and storm-worn textures of the work.
Opening Night Friday 30 May, 6–8pm
Venue Alpha60 Chapter House, Level 2, 195 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Exhibition Dates 30 May – 30 June 2025
Mon – Sat 10am – 6pm, Sun 11am – 5pm
Admission Free | No RSVP required
Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Gants & Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery’s Artist in Residence Program. Produced in partnership with Centre for Projection Art & Alpha60.
Also don’t miss:
ACMI Art + Film: Jen Valender Thursday 29 May 2025 6.30pm
A special in-conversation event at ACMI, where Valender will screen recent films and discuss her interdisciplinary practice exploring sound, weather and sculptural encounters. Info + tickets
About Jen Valender
Jen Valender was born in Aotearoa New Zealand and is based in Naarm Melbourne. She holds a Master of Fine Arts (Research) (2021) from the Victorian College of the Arts, as well as Bachelor degrees in Fine Art, Sociology and Anthropology. Valender has exhibited, performed and screened work widely both locally and internationally. Selected projects and exhibitions include: Saatchi Gallery (London); MONA (Hobart); Arsenale Nord (Venice); Heide Museum of Modern Art (Melbourne); Forum des images (Paris); Shepparton Art Museum (Victoria); Museum of Art and Culture & Multi-Arts Pavilion (Lake Macquarie); MPavilion (Melbourne); WIRWIR Gallery (Berlin); Spier Light Art Festival (Stellenbosch); Ian Potter Museum of Art (Melbourne); Gertrude Street Projection Festival (Melbourne); Collingwood Yards Art Precinct (Melbourne); Benalla Art Gallery (Victoria) and Adelaide Festival Centre (South Australia). Valender is a PhD candidate at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne.
IG @jenvalender W https://jenvalender.com/
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