Sarah Bleby’s best life
Meet Sarah Bleby, creative director at Immersive Light and Art, who chats about a new exhibition taking us inside musical instruments.
Tell us a bit about yourself in a nutshell.
I am currently Head of Creative at Immersive Light and Art | ILA. I’ve worked on international arts festivals and events for more than 25 years and I’m very fortunate to know, in my bones, that my purpose is to enable connection and wonder through arts and culture. At ILA, I get to do this in ways that transcend traditional artforms and blend ideas with imagery, performance and the extraordinary technical infrastructure of our immersive spaces. Best of all, I get to do all this as part of a truly brilliant creative team.
What are you currently working on?
I have a split focus right now: one eye on our current exhibition Architecture in Music, which features fascinating images of the insides of musical instruments, the bits you never get to see, and the other on our 2027 program of exhibitions integrated with creative technologies and live performance. I often find myself zooming in on the detail and delivery, then out to the conceptual and creative. It’s really the nature of my job and I love it that way.
What does your idea of the perfect day look like?
Depends on the day of the week! Whichever it is, it always involves art and nature. I love waking to bird calls (and not my alarm!) in the Adelaide Hills and having a coffee in bed, staring at the stringy barks outside my window especially when it’s raining. A morning walk either in the bush or on the beach with my nine-year-old and lunch somewhere outside (unless it’s raining!), a great afternoon gig at The Wheaty (The Wheatsheaf Hotel) and home in time to read a chapter or two before I fall asleep.
What is a wonderful moment of kindness you have experienced?
So many tiny, everyday kindnesses keep my world turning. Today, I’m so very grateful for lifts given by other single parents, for logistical support from grandparents and friends, and for the widespread outpouring of community support in the face of tragedy. I was so moved by Helen Haines’ request, through her husband Phil, that amidst the shock and grief of her own situation, she called on us to donate to Save the Children; that she remains so aware of the needs of others beyond herself, even right now, is such testament to her character. And I’m so glad you asked this question! It is a kindness to ensure we focus on kindness.
What is your favourite photograph?
Right at the moment I am spending a lot of time looking at this stunning image the innards of a cello that was hit by a train in 1929. Made in the late 18th century, it has signatures of the luthiers who repaired and tended it during the Great Depression, when even with such damage, an instrument was such a precious thing, that it was carefully restored. The light streaming in through the f holes shows its glue stains and cobwebs and patches, and it has clearly lived a much-loved life. I used to play the cello, and I carry a deep affection for its sound and in this photograph, I get to be inside its secrets. It’s one of the many images by Charles Brooks in our exhibition Architecture in Music.
If you could own any piece of art, what would it be?’
I fell in love with Grandmother Myrtle, a painting by Robert Whitson that was part of a recent exhibition we held at ILA, featuring the work of artists who have undertaken the Bob Brown Foundation’s Art for Takayna residency I was alone in the gallery when it arrived, and I remember that it literally took my breath as I unwrapped it. Its texture, intimacy and the way it transformed as I moved around it. It was my favourite.
Here’s $500. You have to spend it in the next hour – what are you buying?
Tickets to live arts events! I love sharing money around in ways that move through the economy, engage artists, and foster in-person, shared experiences – the stuff that cannot be replicated online. With Adelaide Festival and WOMADelaide tickets on sale I could chew through it very fast, but I know I would also take it to my favourite music venues, and $500 goes a long way on local gigs.
A bar/café/restaurant in SA you’d recommend?
I am very proud to say that my colleagues in Aurora, which is part of ILA, were awarded a Michelin star the other day. And I have had the great privilege of having dined there a number of times. It really is artistry, what our chef Robin Wagner does. His depth of conceptual and integrative thinking underpins it all. And a true perk of working here is that sometimes dishes he’s working on in the kitchen find their way into the office…
What was the last film/tv show you watched?
I was late to the party, but I just finished My Brilliant Career – such a delicious South Australian production!
Favourite way to unwind?
I love climbing Mt George. It’s in my backyard, I walk there from home, and when get to the top, I love sitting on the granite crags and gazing across the Peramangk Piccadilly valley where grew up. It resets me. Though last time I did it, a red-bellied black snake joined me on the trail. That was a minor jolt!
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Last book you read?
Devotion by Hannah Kent.
Last song you listened to?
Circles, by Naomi Keyte! She played it recently as part of her glorious gig in our Art for Takayna season and it’s on very high rotation!
Architecture in Music is on at Immersive Light and Art until December 5.
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