Intangible

The Rare Trades Centre recently invited me (Erin) to speak about my practice as part of their popular quarterly Petcha Kucha series, this one with a theme of Intangible.

Intangible — a word that threads through both spirit and craft.

A sprid (ghost) is the essence of the intangible, which in scannán (film) translates technically to a percentage of transparency — but conceptually, it’s something much deeper. This PechaKucha event (from the Japanese for “quick talk”) brought together creatives who work in the non-physical — stories, gestures, atmospheres, memory.

In my talk, I shared some of the often-unseen elements of my work — grain, darkness, blur — the textures that hold memory, mystery, and sometimes resistance. These “imperfections” are where my images breathe, honouring the intangible presences that move through my films.

We all know in the end that joy is a choice and I invited everyone to stand and twirl with me — and they did. A whole room of people spinning together in the Rare Trades Centre, honouring the invisible threads that connect us. It was simple, joyful, and oddly sacred, exactly the kind of intangible feeling I hold in my work.

Presented by the Australian Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, the evening explored the skills, scéala (stories), and practices passed down through generations — enriching and inspiring contemporary creativity.

Speakers included Anzara Clark, Erin M McCuskey, Hap Hayward, Jude Craig, and Mick Nunn.

Date: Friday May 23rd, 6–8pm
Location: The Rare Trades Centre, Ballaarat

Credit to those who continue to provide opportunities for creatives to share; particularly Erin Santamaria and Lauren Bourke at the Rare Trades Centre in Ballarat on Wadawurrung Country.

The images I spoke to are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/yumhq/albums/72177720326435464/

#petchakucha #raretrades #film #foto #erinmccuskey