The Mill is South Australia’s leading multidisciplinary arts organisation. Its Angas Street site comprises of studios, creative industry offices and a digital working space, and is home to over 55 artists, makers, and designers. The venue combines workspaces with galleries, a performing arts space, photography studio, tools workshop and shared meeting facilities behind a dynamic street presence in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD.
The Mill’s year-round program supports more than 500 artists, providing the necessary physical space to work on their practice, alongside diverse public events, performances and exhibitions, and development opportunities. The Mill’s masterclasses, workshops and residencies place local artists, both emerging and established, with leading practitioners from across the country and around the world.
Given this diverse range of activities, reliable internet connection is paramount. The number of users online is constantly changing, so having a service that can handle high volume means artists can arrive on site at any time and get their work done.
The Mill’s relationship with GigCity began in 2018 when approached as part of the original group of innovation precincts being offered a GigCity connection. The organisation recognised that the service offered better value and features than their existing contract and were keen to connect.
General and Venue Manager Tim Watts says, “GigCity allows The Mill to offer its studio residents reliable, comprehensive internet connectivity, to use in ways that best suit their individual practices”.
“Whether they be hat-makers or filmmakers, being connected to a global audience with opportunities to create and share engaging content is a huge drawcard for working at The Mill.”
The COVID pandemic has had a significant impact on the creative industries, including the shift to streaming meetings, performances and events online.
“We would not have been able to achieve this on our previous service,” Tim says.
“We are excited to see how creatives work with this technology in the future.”
With the support of GigCity connection, The Mill has also expanded to include a space for seven digital, desk-based artists. These are mainly photographers, videographers and writers who are online a lot, so having a reliably fast connection is a big attraction and crucial to their work.
Repeater Production’s Ben Golotta, one of The Mill’s artists in residence, uses the service daily—constantly uploading and downloading hundreds of gigabytes of footage for clients.
“For The Mill, GigCity means an ability to deliver high-quality program outcomes that can flex in-step with changing conditions,” Tim says.
“It gives us the confidence to experiment with taking projects online, and support others in doing so themselves.”
