The Check-in Lounge offers individuals in the urban environment, one-on-one art and technology encounters related to mental health and self-care, through participatory projects, digital apps and virtual reality; introducing a range of tools and ideas that provide insight into personal experiences of mental health, and connections to mental health innovations in the broader culture.

The exhibition includes the Virtual Reality projects; Hue, DREAM3D and Liminal, curated by Sarah Ticho; the hands-on collaborative project Neural Knitworks by artist Pat Pillai; the one-on-one interactive project, Mobile Mood Lab by George Khut; Parragirls Past, Present by the Parragirls, a project that straddles both virtual and real contexts, and a commissioned mental health ‘pod’ supported by PTW Architects.

The Check-in Lounge is also the information point for Apocalypse Anonymous by Tiyan Baker and Loren Kronemyer; the performance The Petition Never to Die by Vicki Van Hout and Marian Abboud, Everything is Connected With Everything Else: Myco Logic, and a range of accessible public programs and workshops.

Running each Thursday, Friday and Saturday (12, 13, 14 Oct & 19, 20, 21 Oct)

If you come to the Check-in Lounge on Thursday, Friday and anytime on Saturday, you will be able to experience the VR projects, the Mobile Mood Lab, the Neural Knitworks installation and DIY neuron, Parragirls: Past, Present VR and the mental health pod.

Saturday 14 October Events at the Check-in Lounge

(AUSLAN interpretation available on this day)

12pm – 5pm: Parragirls Past, Present – Tours to the Parramatta Girls Home. Buses leave between the sites every 30 mins 12pm – 5pm.

PARRAMATTA GIRLS HOME AUDIO WALK

About: In this self-guided audio walk Parragirl artists portray Parramatta Girls Home from their own experience and perspective. This experimental sound work offers a layered, living account of Parramatta Girls Home through the voices and present memories of Parragirls.

Please stream the audio live on Soundcloud on your own phone & BYO headphones.

Click here for the Parragirls Audio File stream.

A limited number of players and headphones are available onsite for ID exchange.

Maps
Parramatta Girls Home site maps will be available onsite.

11am – 1pm: Neural Knitworks [Booking Only] – Workshop and discussion with artists Pat Pillai and Rita Pearce and Clinical Psychologist, Professor Adam Guastella.

2pm – 4pm: Walking Tour of the Parramatta sites – Led by Veronica Habib – which will take you around the Check-in Lounge, to the Parramatta Girls Home, Apocalypse Anonymous at Parramatta Park and Everything is Connected With Everything Else: Myco Logic at the Parramatta Justice Precinct.

Saturday 21 October Events at the Check-in-Lounge

(Audio Description AD available on this day)

12pm – 5pm: Parragirls: Past, Present – Tours to the Parramatta Girls Home. Buses leave between the sites every 30 mins 12pm – 5pm.

PARRAMATTA GIRLS HOME AUDIO WALK [information as above] Click here for the Parragirls Audio File stream.

2pm – 3pm: Virtual Therapy [Bookings Only] – Panel Discussion with Nick Busietta Managing Director- Liminal VR, Joseph Purdam – Co-Founder and Director, DREAM3D, Phoria, Rick Martin – COO Equal Reality, Volker Kuchelmeister – Art Director and Production Design – Parragirls, Past, Present, Marilyn Le Tran – Founding Partner and Industrial Designer – Company of Unicorns. Moderated by Sarah Ticho.

2pm – 4pm: Walking Tour of the Parramatta sites – Led by Veronica Habib – which will take you around the Check-in Lounge, to the Parramatta Girls Home, Apocalypse Anonymous at Parramatta Park and Everything is Connected With Everything Else: Myco Logic at the Parramatta Justice Precinct.

Friday 13 and Saturday 14 Performances

7.30pm – 9pm: The Petition Never To Die [Bookings Only] – by Vicki Van Hout and Marian Abboud. The Marsden Street Weir (outside The Riverside Theatres, Parramatta).

Presented in association with Riverside Theatres.

Supported by Subpac, Samsung, dLux Media Arts and Bec Dean.

Exhibition design by Shahmen Suku.