Documentary Australia Foundation

A Curator's Last Will and Testament

About the film

A fifteen minutes film about Nick Waterlow OAM, one of the world's first contemporary art curators: a man, respected internationally for his humility and his selfless dedication in helping others understand contemporary art- a curator who loved artists.
The aim is to make an elegy - an art film: the viewer will walk through a visual poem. Excerpts from the homilies of his closest friends: artists, curators and Father Sinn, condensed to their essence, will show how one man's passion for art was also his great compassion for people. These words will be set against the moving and beautiful images from the funeral and will be accompanied, at times, by the screaming jazz improvisation saxophonist Eddie Bronson played to Nick's body as he lay in the Cathedral, and the prayer of the Cantor Joseph Toltz - two contrasting spiritual sounds: one free form, the other, structured and ancient. It will also show, poetically, how Nick brought a community together, and how one man can live on in the hearts of so many.
Nick's passion for art cannot be separated from life. His death cannot be separated from his love. The film will celebrate a man who could survey the immensity of life with passion and also with a certain detachment that comes only from the awareness of death. Not long before his death Nick wrote in his notebook: A Curator's Last Will and Testament.1 Passion
2 An eye of discernment
3 An empty vessel
4 An ability to be uncertain
5 Belief in the necessity of art and artists
6 A medium. Bringing a passionate and informed understanding of works of art to an audience in ways that will stimulate, inspire, question
7 Making possible the altering of perception
" That list is not just for curators, it for us all. These are lessons for life."
Father Steve Sinn.

Total Project Budget

AUD $16,500

Length of Production

15 minutes

Stage of Production

Post-production

How does the project meet the aims of a philanthropic foundation?

To inspire and educate those in the art world and outside it as well as future generations: demonstrate how a man could help artists because he loved them, and how meaning and understanding can be found through art curating. It will show the deep respect by the community towards a man who gave of himself to others in love, and in encouragment.

What outcomes do you hope to achieve by making this film and how will you measure its impact?

I imagine the film to be shown in educational institutions and in galleries and museums both in Australia and internationally.

What is your education and outreach strategy

COFA and all art schools, University museums and libraries in Australia. Regional galleries, Biennale of Sydney, The new Museum at COFA, Oxley 9 gallery.

Who are the filmmakers responsible for the project?

Juliet Darling
Paul Elliott
Jane Moran