Over a period of four weeks in 2025/2026 I was the artist-in-residence in Poatina, a creative community in rural Tasmania, 161km north of Hobart. Supported by Arts Australia, this residency allowed me to continue the development of my one-woman show ‘I Do(n’t)’, as well as giving me a dedicated time to write new songs for future Dutch/English releases. 

I’ve shared some images below to provide visual context for my residency, especially for those of you who haven’t had a chance to come to Tasmania. Poatina is a small town that sits on a plateau at 299m elevation, overlooking farmlands and backed by bush. Framed by Mount Blackwood, the way nipaluna (Hobart) is framed by kunanyi (Mount Wellington), the landscape offers the escape of distant views and endless forest trails, some of which I explored. 

The land somewhat inevitably made its way into my songs, the hikes around Poatina reminding me of my childhood wanderings through New Zealand’s Waitakere forest, which I refer to in the song ‘Almost Kiwi’, and the spaciousness of the surrounding farmlands inspiring the song ‘Wind & Seed’, which is begging for a choral arrangement.

Examining the songs that emerged from my time in Poatina, I see themes of migration, land and identity, distance and (re)connection, as well as songs addressing social issues. If you’re interested in knowing more about my creative process, the individual songs, how they came together and the ideas that inspired them, you can check out my Songwriting Blog. 

Since my initial application for this artist residency in 2024, I have made significant progress on my one-woman show ‘I Do(n’t)'. With a draft libretto now written and piano-arrangements being reviewed, my residency focus for this project was on mentorship: receiving strategic industry input from Melbourne-based musical theatre performer/writer and AMCA founder Queenie van de Zandt to facilitate the future production of this show.  

While music production was not a core part of my residency work, I did record vocal overdubs for two tracks while in the studio at Poatina. The first is a song called ’Bij Jou’, which was written before my residency, with vocal overdubs recorded during the first week of my residency. A couple of months later the song was released to digital streaming platforms. You can listen to ‘Bij Jou (released August 2025) and read more about the song on my blog. 

The second song, ‘Kibbeling’, was written during that same first week at Poatina, with overdubs recorded during my most recent stay in April 2026. For the production of both of these tracks I have been working with jazz pianist/composer Jurriaan Berger, who is based in the Netherlands and with Studio PR in Sydney. The song ‘Kibbeling’ will be the first single from my Poatina compositions to be released this year.

During my time in Poatina I met some wonderful souls, both creative practitioners and those who appreciate and support the arts. I am grateful to the community of Poatina for hosting me over the past two years and for making space in their homes, café’s and studios to have me stay. Special thanks to Steve Cooper for facilitating my residency locally. 

I also want to thank Arts Tasmania for supporting this Artist Residency and recognising the significance of my work. It is wonderful to have an Arts organisation behind me whose vision of inclusivity translates, beyond policy, to a practice that is understanding and flexible in how support is given to artists of varied backgrounds and circumstances. 

To the community of Poatina, Thank You and see you again soon!
 

Renaté Bianca

28th May 2026