The development of Shark Island Kangaroo Valley has been a journey spanning many years. I wanted to establish a series of creative spaces, in a location that chose itself — high above a river, nestled under the cliffs, in a natural amphitheatre. A site where stories have been told, and ceremonies held for thousands of years. A place where filmmakers, actors, artists, and writers could gather to make art, share ideas, support each other, and create an impact. I believed in the transformative power of combining art with the environment. Magic happens in the Valley!

Naively, I also believed in the concept of ‘build it and they will come.’ Quite a risk indeed, as I hadn’t really thought in detail about how the place would be used before building began. But from the day the last nail was hammered into the wall — back in May 2014 and while the paint was still drying — SIKV has been alive with creative energy, constantly filled with artists from all backgrounds and persuasions.

Our goal has always been to honour and support storytelling in all its forms. We designed a space capable of hosting intensive labs and focussed work, while also providing a quiet refuge for artists — recognising that the act of creation can be isolating at times. It’s a place to just think, and recharge, and escape the noise, allowing for reflection and renewal. At the same time, we saw tremendous value in bringing artists together — not only to collaborate but to simply enjoy the experience of being in the same room. Sometimes, just sharing a space alongside others, without any demands or expectations, can be extremely rewarding.

The power of a residency program that spans several days or weeks lies in its ability to bring artists together in both shared and private spaces. I deliberately separated the workspaces from sleeping, eating, and socialising areas — key factor in the program’s success. I wanted to cultivate a safe place where opinions and beliefs can differ and be openly respected. The honesty and vulnerability necessary in creating art demand spaces that foster trust and openness. By establishing clear boundaries between work, rest and play, I aimed to create an environment where artists feel free to explore, experiment, and challenge themselves without the pressure of constant performance or judgement. This separation encourages genuine connections, meaningful interactions, and a community rooted in respect and understanding. Ultimately, it’s about providing a space where vulnerability and authenticity is welcomed, and the creative process — along with its risks — is as vital as the final outcome.

We believe in encouraging total creative freedom, where artists work at their own rhythm. Yet, despite this independence, we hold one simple, powerful tradition: everyone comes together for dinner at the same time, sharing a communal table. This ritual has become a vital part of every residency, anchoring the community and fostering connection. I recognised early on that providing food and a place to sleep is essential — not just for comfort, but to free residents from the demands of daily life, allowing them to focus entirely on creating and developing their art. Sometimes, it’s these small, consistent practices — like shared meals — that build the foundation of trust and success in this place, shaping both the experience, personal growth and the desired and unexpected outcomes.

Growing up, I attended a school at the edge of the Victorian Alps, which featured a strong emphasis on the arts and the importance of creative expression. Since then, my years of climbing mountains, walking across deserts, and exploring dry salt lakes in Central Australia have deeply connected me to the natural world — it’s a source of inspiration and renewal that I cherish just as much as my work in documentary film and the creative arts.

Over the years, my experiences attending programs and labs at the Sundance Institute, the Flaherty Film Seminar, the Do Lectures, countless film festivals, various film and arts schools (even my years of attending the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders weekend in Omaha), have profoundly influenced my understanding of the importance of community, collaboration, and innovation in storytelling. In creating the Good Pitch Australia events in 2014, 2015 and 2016, we blended filmmaking with philanthropy and social impact, reinforcing my belief in storytelling’s capacity to inspire change. During my tenure as Chair of the Sydney Theatre Company I saw firsthand how supporting a creative community can lead to extraordinary growth and exploration.

Over the past decade at SIKV, we have hosted over 100 residencies and developed all our films and other initiatives. We’ve also welcomed practitioners from Sundance and other leading international and Australian arts institutions, fostering collaboration and innovation. We’ve seen how bringing together diverse creative voices can ignite new ideas, support bold storytelling, and strengthen the arts community. We continue to build creative partnerships with several arts organisations, witnessing great work flourish and thrive at our residential labs. All these experiences and influences have reinforced my conviction: the arts are a powerful force for joy, nourishment, and social change. These achievements and collaborations have continued to shape our vision for Shark Island Kangaroo Valley — a space that champions storytelling, exploration, and connection.

Shark Island Kangaroo Valley is more than just a place — it is a sanctuary for creative risk-taking, discovery and community. It is a space built on the belief that creating art deeply connected with the environment, has the power to inspire, flourish, challenge, and ultimately, make a difference. It’s been quite a decade!

Ian Darling, October 2025
Executive Director Shark Island Institute

The stories of Shark Island Kangaroo Valley — all the residencies, all the artists, all the work that has emerged from them — each and every one has shaped this place, become part of the fabric. I am so grateful to have been here since the beginning to watch this rich tapestry of incredible moments unfold, to see what this gift of place, of time, can inspire.

We didn’t really know in 2014, what Shark Island Kangaroo Valley would become, but we always knew it would be something transformative, something magical. We knew from the very first residency of the 2014 GoodPitch documentary filmmakers: we watched as they arrived as a group of mostly strangers and left three days later, as a community; and we saw how the work and the filmmakers were changed by this place and by this immersive experience; and how they went out into the world then and changed others minds, and social landscapes and found new ways of making impact with story.

Since then, so many stories, so many artists have been here, and there is indeed a treasure trove of transformative and magical moments: the echo around the escarpment as First Nations Māori filmmakers sang in response to a powerful Welcome to Country; the change in the faces of young painters emerging because they have been valued and respected as artists; so many long table dinners with animated discussion and the best ideas flying; groups of creatives and campaigners huddled together solving the important issues of our times; writers, excited and flushed after walking the loop to have cracked the block or had that breakthrough; and then seeing the ideas and stories that started here, have impact in the national arena; I will never tire of watching artists find community and lifelong connections or seeing the success of artists who have been here.

Residencies at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley are an extraordinary gift in every way, wrapped in generosity from the moment you arrive. To be supported with good food and comfortable beds, to not have to think about the small things of life, so that you can find the words, the music, the ways to portray the big things. Shark Island gives the gift of time — to honour your work as an artist, to hold space for creativity, to carve out days of freedom to dream and plan and assemble and express. I know how precious a residency can be; as a reset, as an immersion, as a spark ignited! I have been lucky to have also had time to write and craft two plays and to rehearse and to paint at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley as well. Being immersed in a creative process is one of my favourite things to do. It is such an honour to be able to facilitate that time for other artists.

Art is given meaning when it is witnessed, and performances, showings, readings, screenings for our wonderful Kangaroo Valley community is an important part of what we do. Through the ARTSLAB at the community owned Upper River Hall and The Sessions at The Old Store, we bring artists and audiences together, not just with polished final products, but in the messy stages of work in progress, providing opportunity for discussion and understanding, cracking open the mysteries of artistic process, encouraging creativity. To offer an arts program to our small regional community is a gift of giving back.

But here in this place, nestled in one of the most beautiful valleys on this earth, on Aboriginal country rich with story and significance, where pockets of old growth forests still exist, a pristine river flows, a community cares; that is the greatest gift. Shark Island offers connection back to this natural real world, an opportunity to sink into that primordial comfort and then have distance and perspective to observe what humanity has made of it all and tell that story. It reminds you why you are here. It encourages hope. It compels you to act.

Sarah Butler, October 2025
Executive Director Shark Island Kangaroo Valley

As Susan Sontag wrote, “courage can be as contagious as fear”. So, we must choose contagious courage.

Supporting artists in residence is an investment in the future of our collective imagination and bravery. Years spent forging worlds in studios, on stages, activating spaces, and nurturing creativity have taught me that supporting art is inseparable from supporting change — in our work, our communities, and within ourselves. Less than a year ago, I courageously stepped away from my academic role at WAAPA and found myself immersed in the landscape of Kangaroo Valley at Shark Island, where the trees welcomed me and the Dharawal land offered a renewed sense of place, patience, and untamed possibility for art to flourish.

As Mary Oliver reminds us: “Around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out, ‘stay awhile.’ The light flows from their branches and they call again, ‘it’s simple,’ they say, ‘and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.’”

This revelation — sometimes exhilarating, sometimes uncomfortable — clarified for me that the true measure of one’s work is not found in titles or achievements, but in the courage sparked in others, and in the environments that allow us to wake up. For me as an artist, satori — insight or a moment of sudden awakening — lies at the heart of my approach. Whether creating new performance works, activating spaces, or guiding artists, I have seen transformation arise through presence, uncertainty, and risk. Rooted in embodied theatre practices and decades of artistic exploration, I encourage artists to trust the emergent process, allowing it to lead them to new understanding.

My journey — from teaching at WAAPA, ACA, and NIDA, to working in countless creative spaces both nationally and internationally, and now developing Shark Island’s year-long “Story Assembly” program for emerging actors and theatre makers — has shown me art’s extraordinary ability to transform place, space, and story. Supporting artists holistically through residency models, where their well-being is prioritised, fosters the ideal conditions for creativity. When artists are cared for, they are able to challenge assumptions and ask the urgent questions of our time — conversations that extend beyond the studio and invite wider audiences and communities to rethink and respond.

The future
I see artistic process as the excavation of potential within uncertainty, asking us to see the world anew. This ‘seeing it new’ has never been more critical — as we now exist on the very brink of things: on the brink of a ruckus, of destruction, of understanding — where old ideas are failing us and new voices are urgently needed. Every ensemble, residency, and collaboration at Shark Island is a frontier — not only where ideas are challenged, but also where hopeful new communities come into being. We are making space for the next storytellers: those ready to write our futures, frame our anxieties, and help us re-imagine how we might live. To support artists is to choose courage over fear, love over apathy, and connection over isolation.

Through thoughtful curation, Shark Island Kangaroo Valley and its ongoing residency program invites us to listen deeply, take bold risks, and shape spaces where joy and rigorous perseverance coexist. This collective, curated bravery ensures that the stories and visions of artists continue to illuminate.

Sam Chester, October 2025
Residency Director Shark Island Kangaroo Valley