UNSW – ERIA and BHAE Inc - collaborative partnership

Susan Thomas, Founder and Originator of the Broken Hill Art Exchange Inc. (BHAE)

The Environmental Research Initiative for Art (ERIA) at UNSW has been central to the Broken Hill Art Exchange (BHAE) since the early 2000s, introducing pioneering workshops, visiting staff, and collaborative projects that positioned BHAE within national and international conversations on art, research, and environment. Under Allan Giddy’s direction, ERIA co-curated Desert Equinox (2012) and held its 10th Anniversary - DE10 in 2022. Desert Equinox became BHAE’s flagship project, a solar-powered, community-driven project, supported by ARC Linkage and Creative Australia funding. ERIA’s influence began with UNSW-led video and media arts workshops (2001–2004), facilitated by staff including Atanas Djonov, Jamil Yamani, and John Gillies, which engaged local communities while generating international outcomes such as Giddy’s work at Tate Modern. Over time, BHAE became an active hub for UNSW academics, students, and alumni—including Bonita Ely, Martin Sims, Sandra Landolt, and Zachariah Fenn—while annual visits led by Hobart Hughes and Fowler-Smith established Broken Hill residencies as an informal student group tradition. Revitalised by ERIA workshops in 2016 and 2023, the partnership continues, with a joint ERIA–BHAE exhibition planned for 2025.