The Refinery

The Refinery Growing and sustaining creative practice and business at the intersection of art, technology, environment and design

11/12/2025

Recently, we held our Electromagnetic Fields Forever workshop with Vijay Thillaimuthu as part of R|Artist Residency: Urban Ecologies, where participants built their own electromagnetic microphones and set out to discover the hidden signals humming through our everyday environments.

From assembling components in the Maker Space to testing devices across the UniSC Art gallery, the day was full of curious listening, unexpected sounds and plenty of creative experimentation.

Here’s a glimpse of the workshop in action 🎧
R|Artist Residency: Urban Ecologies is a five-month program supporting mid-career and senior artists to create new work exploring the built environment with a focus on integrating new technologies. Delivered by SCCA as part of The Refinery, in partnership with the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC.

Supported by Major Partners, Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund, and Media Partners In Publishing (Hello Sunshine Magazine and IN Noosa Magazine).

06/11/2025

Last week, lens-based artist and writer Julia Rose van Haren invited audiences into her studio for the Work-in-Progress showing of ‘Index (Maternal)’, marking the culmination of her R|Artist Residency: Sub Tropic, and the final chapter for the Sub Tropic Studio program in its current home at the Caloundra Bus Station.

Through collage, text, and poetry, Julia’s work maps generational stories of women — their care, labour, and survival — weaving theory, memory and embodied making into one tender conversation.

🎞️ Read the full recap and explore the images from the night on The Refinery Journal via the link in our bio.
R|Artist Residency: Sub Tropic is delivered by SCCA as part of The Refinery. The Refinery is supported by major partners, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund, the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC, and Media Partners In Publishing through IN Noosa and Hello Sunshine Magazines.

NEXT WEEK → ARTIST SHOWINGExperience work-in-progress, 'Index (Maternal)', by artist and writer Julia Rose van Haren, de...
25/10/2025

NEXT WEEK → ARTIST SHOWING

Experience work-in-progress, 'Index (Maternal)', by artist and writer Julia Rose van Haren, developed during her R|Artist Residency: Sub Tropic.

Through 'Index (Maternal)', Julia invites audiences to inquire into how we inherit the stories of the body, how they are repeated, rewritten, and sometimes resisted. This mixed media collage brings together vernacular, newly created, found, and archival imagery to construct a fragmented genealogy of the maternal body.

'Index (Maternal)' draws on post-structuralist feminist theory to reframe the maternal not as a fixed identity but as a transmission, an ongoing intersubjective process between generations.

Join us for the showing and artist talk where Julia will share her process and the contextual frameworks underpinning her project.

Event Details
Where: Sub Tropic Studio, 23 Cooma Terrace, Caloundra
When: Wednesday, 29 October
Time:
5:30pm - 6:15pm: Open Studio with drinks and nibbles
6:15pm - 7:00pm: Artist Talk

Cost: Free | RSVP essential via link in bio

Parking:
Free parking available at the Caloundra Bus Interchange (top two levels).
R|Artist Residency: Sub Tropic is delivered by SCCA as part of The Refinery. The Refinery is supported by major partners, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund, the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC, and Media Partners In Publishing through IN Noosa and Hello Sunshine Magazines.

24/10/2025

🥇 What a finish!

Thanks to your incredible generosity, BRING IT was a huge success this AusArt Day. Together, we’ve shown that when the Sunshine Coast creative community teams up, we go for gold.

Your support is helping local artists access the opportunities, mentorships and resources they need to shine on the global stage and create a lasting cultural legacy beyond 2032.

From all of us at SCCA, thank you for BRINGING IT for the arts.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

We’re on the home stretch! Together we’ve raised $8,855 🎉Thank you so much to our champions and fans who have donated, a...
23/10/2025

We’re on the home stretch! 

Together we’ve raised $8,855 🎉

Thank you so much to our champions and fans who have donated, and to our cheer squad who have been cheering us on from the sidelines. We wouldn’t be here without you.

But there’s still time to cheer us on. You have until midnight tomorrow (24 October) to donate or spread the word and help us cross the finish line.

Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. We’re so close to our goal, and with your help, let’s make it a PB!

Hydrate, and let’s BRING IT home!
…

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

23/10/2025

BREAKING NEWS 🏆

We’re thrilled to share that SCCA’s BRING IT campaign has received a generous $4,000 pledge!

A heartfelt thank you to our anonymous donor for backing the home team and championing the arts across the Sunshine Coast.

There’s still time to get in the game,make your donation and BRING IT for AusArt Day!

🔗 Link in bio
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

23/10/2025

We’re out of the starting blocks and we are half way through the race 🏃‍♀️💨

WE’VE REACHED $2K!!

But this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Every donation counts.

If you could spare the cost of a gatorade or a triple shot ice latte, to fuel the work we do, we’d really appreciate it.

Head to the link in our bio and BRING IT!
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

YOU’RE INVITED | ARTIST SHOWINGExperience work-in-progress, 'Index (Maternal)', by artist and writer Julia Rose van Hare...
22/10/2025

YOU’RE INVITED | ARTIST SHOWING

Experience work-in-progress, 'Index (Maternal)', by artist and writer Julia Rose van Haren, developed during her R|Artist Residency: Sub Tropic.

Through 'Index (Maternal)', Julia invites audiences to inquire into how we inherit the stories of the body, how they are repeated, rewritten, and sometimes resisted. This mixed media collage brings together vernacular, newly created, found, and archival imagery to construct a fragmented genealogy of the maternal body.

'Index (Maternal)' draws on post-structuralist feminist theory to reframe the maternal not as a fixed identity but as a transmission, an ongoing intersubjective process between generations.

Join us for the showing and artist talk where Julia will share her process and the contextual frameworks underpinning her project.

Event Details
Where: Sub Tropic Studio, 23 Cooma Terrace, Caloundra
When: Wednesday, 29 October
Time:
5:30pm - 6:15pm: Open Studio with drinks and nibbles
6:15pm - 7:00pm: Artist Talk

Cost: Free | RSVP essential via link in bio

Parking:
Free parking available at the Caloundra Bus Interchange (top two levels).
R|Artist Residency: Sub Tropic is delivered by SCCA as part of The Refinery. The Refinery is supported by major partners, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund, the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC, and Media Partners In Publishing through IN Noosa and Hello Sunshine Magazines.

ARTIST SHOWING | Index (Maternal) by Julia Rose van Haren Experience work-in-progress, 'Index (Maternal)', by artist and...
17/10/2025

ARTIST SHOWING | Index (Maternal) by Julia Rose van Haren

Experience work-in-progress, 'Index (Maternal)', by artist and writer Julia Rose van Haren, developed during her R|Artist Residency: Sub Tropic.

Through 'Index (Maternal)', Julia invites audiences to inquire into how we inherit the stories of the body, how they are repeated, rewritten, and sometimes resisted. This mixed media collage brings together vernacular, newly created, found, and archival imagery to construct a fragmented genealogy of the maternal body.

'Index (Maternal)' draws on post-structuralist feminist theory to reframe the maternal not as a fixed identity but as a transmission, an ongoing intersubjective process between generations.

Join us for the showing and artist talk where Julia will share her process and the contextual frameworks underpinning her project.

Event Details
Where: Sub Tropic Studio, 23 Cooma Terrace, Caloundra
When: Wednesday, 29 October
Time:
5:30pm - 6:15pm: Open Studio with drinks and nibbles
6:15pm - 7:00pm: Artist Talk

Cost: Free | RSVP essential via link in bio

Parking:
Free parking available at the Caloundra Bus Interchange (top two levels).
R|Artist Residency: Sub Tropic is delivered by SCCA as part of The Refinery. The Refinery is supported by major partners, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund, the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC, and Media Partners In Publishing through IN Noosa and Hello Sunshine Magazines.

08/10/2025

We’re still on a high from Critical Light over the weekend!

Across three incredible days at ANAT SPECTRA 2025 :: Reciprocity, our cohort of 10 experimental artists came together from across Australia to dive deep into interdisciplinary art, science and technology.

From thought-provoking talks and a huge lineup of immersive works at UniSC, to an unforgettable day on the water at Tallo Billa with Lyndon Davis, Dr Leah Barclay and Dr Tricia King, the experience sparked critical dialogue, curiosity and creative connection.

A huge thank you to ANAT, our Critical Light artists, and Creative Australia for making this transformative program possible 💡
Critical Light is presented by SCCA as part of The Refinery, in partnership with ANAT Spectra 2025.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

The Refinery is supported by Major Partners: the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC and Sunshine Coast Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund, and Media Partners IN Publishing (Hello Sunshine Magazine and IN Noosa Magazine).

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