ACTF News

Artists celebrate Australian children's television
Dec 07, 2022
Artists celebrate Australian children's television

The stories, characters and worlds of children’s television leave an indelible mark on our memories and help to shape our childhoods, our worldview, and – in some cases – our careers.

When Melbourne-based artist David Booth shared an artwork featuring the ACTF logo, we knew we needed to learn more about how children’s television might be influencing contemporary visual arts. To what extent are the Australian artists who grew up during the 1980s and 90s influenced by the shows they watched in childhood? How might Australian children’s television have ignited the imaginations of creative practitioners?

We invited six artists to create a new work based around their relationship with Australian kids’ TV and the culture of their formative years. Celebrated as ‘fan art’, the artists explored their memories of ACTF stories across a broad range of mediums. The works were a vehicle to revisit the screen stories of their youth and examine the lasting impact children’s television had on their childhoods and, as adults, their artistic practice. These artworks were showcased at the farewell event for outgoing chair Janet Holmes à Court at the ACTF head office. While they remain the property of the artists, we hope that it might be possible to exhibit them soon.

ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland said: “We have been blown away by the artworks created during this project. They illustrate that the television we watch as children has a profound impact, right at the time when we are developing our identity. If it’s great content, made especially for us, it has the capacity to fire our imaginations, influencing who we become. To see the influence of Australian children’s content reflected in these captivating works has been incredibly rewarding. Thank you to all the artists who delved into their childhoods to create these wonderful pieces.”

David Booth

The Kaboodle Room in My Mind, 2022

Giclee print edition of 15

"I was born in Tasmania in 1991, and there was limited access to TV, so I soaked up anything I could get. All the TV I saw as a child really transported me away from my little island. It made me want to draw and make things. Cartoons, books and drawings from my childhood are a major part of my art practice. Accessing the free daydreamy space of childhood is the pursuit of why I draw and create. After digging through the archives at the ACTF I’ve rediscovered how much the colours and creations have impacted me. There’s more to it that’s hard to even put into words.

There is a room in my mind that I can access that holds all the images, flavours and feelings from lying on the carpet in front of our wooden family TV. I’m drawing all the things I see and dream about. Characters from TV and books and pop culture all mash together to form a memory of a feeling about my budding inner world as a young boy."

 

Previous Back to index Next

See also:

December 6th 2022

Janet Holmes √° Court steps down

After an incredible 36 years as Chair and 39 as a Board member, Janet Holmes á Court has retired from the Board of the Australian Children's Television Foundation.
December 6th 2022

Explore the Top End with Barrumbi Kids

The live-action children's series Barrumbi Kids, based on the popular book series by Leonie Norrington, is now available on National Indigenous Television (NITV) and SBS On Demand.
December 5th 2022

New release: Media representations resource

Year 5 and 6 teachers, our latest resource builds students' media literacy knowledge and skills by examining how and why representations of people, places and ideas are constructed for television.
December 5th 2022

Screen stories to support school transitions

With the end of the school year fast approaching, many teachers are seeking resources that help students process the transition to a new year level or school. These ACTF-supported titles will help students learn about the new environments, relationships, routines and expectations of their next step in schooling.