The Wild Assembly explores ideas for a documentary film project that captures their much-loved town, Ipswich.

Video Transcript

Hello, wonderful weirdos of the WA. Yeah, I have lost my point. So what’s the point?

When I think about the WA, I think about family, community and change. I think about heart and spirit and soul.

The point is that we’re a really cool constellation of people who are bound by the belief in each other and that monumental things are going to happen very, very soon.

Yes, I’ve had an outfit change.

In order to get things running, we need to connect and create and be able to achieve things while still being a part. The Walsey Theatre has presented us with an opportunity of filming and funding for a five-minute documentary based on Ipswich. This is exciting for many reasons.

For one, we’re already artists, naturally documenting the world through obscure lenses and narratives. We’re already invested in this town. We’re deeply alive within the community because this is our home.

Ipswich is where the heart is and where the arse is. But not only are we a part of its urban skin, we’re the underground. Hi there, Peter. Hello, Cookie. The Ipswich Underground is a collective of artists and musicians who collaborate to produce joint projects which no one can address on their own. Love you, Peter. I love you, Cookie.

Ipswich has a sound. It’s a town with many layers and if you listen, you’ll hear them all speaking to you. It’s just born with character because it’s always been in the heart of diversity and exchange. It’s seen Romans, Vikings, Normans, witches, rebels, robbers, smugglers, you name it. This town is older than England.

With so much to cover, I propose we do a docuseries template that could focus on three individuals that contrast in culture, age and industry. In order to create a balance in our visual and storytelling, I was inspired to use the natural elements found in Chinese Feng Shui. This way, I was able to characterise key sectors that contribute to Ipswich’s identity.

Wood, water, earth represent Ipswich’s agriculture and environment through river and rural life. Fire symbolises passion and connection, what’s burning in the underbelly of Ipswich. While metal represents the infrastructure, the labour, the trade and the resilience that shaped Ipswich.

Leaving last but not least, air which for me is the history and the stories which exist and are very much alive but in memory. And that’s where we factor in Ipswich’s voice and imagination. Now we can think about connecting historic landmarks and locations, involving the general public in views and discussions and outsourcing local music and talent that could run in accordance to our film feature.

We could get all our neighbours on St. Nicholas Street, including our dear friend Clara Madd at Rocket Music Store, to Andy and Katrina who own the most famous sandwich shop in town, not to mention all our friends in the pubs we drink at, which is pretty much all of them. Either way, Ipswich is a town with undeniable spirit, laced with character and qualities, lost between eras of time. I feel it’s greatly underestimated.

And as a resident, I feel a responsibility in rectifying that. So let’s make a raw and compelling production that gives Ipswich its voice. And even if we don’t get the funding from the Wolsey, let’s just do it anyway.

Other than being a complete muppet, there is actually a point to this.