Drawing of Blacket’s Barn at Tocal Homestead by Todd Fuller
Blacket’s Barn
Artist Todd Fuller has developed a distinctive practice combining drawing and animation. His work, They Call Me Blacket, explores the rich history of Blacket Barn at Tocal Homestead, reinterpreting its past through vivid animation.
This immersive six-minute journey breathes life into the forgotten narratives of the historic Blacket Barn, originally built in 1867. Narrated by Tim Mallon with a musical score by Ryley Gillen, Fuller’s hand-drawn work transforms into beautiful animation, weaving a narrative that brings architectural heritage to life.
Presented inside the atmospheric Stone Barn Stables during Tocal Field Days (May 2–4, 2025), where it attracted several hundred visitors, the hand-drawn animation offered a captivating reimagining of the barn’s history. The work was narrated by Tim Mallon and featured a moving original score by Ryley Gillen. Over 1,800 photographed frames and 16 charcoal drawings were created, erased, and redrawn to convey the passage of time—a technique that has become a hallmark of Fuller’s storytelling.
The Blacket Barn, designed by renowned colonial architect Edmund Blacket, was rebuilt after the original structure on the site was destroyed by fire in the 1860s. Using this history as a foundation, Fuller gave voice to the building itself, weaving a poetic first-person narrative that brought its long-forgotten stories to life. The animation was described by one audience member as a work that “brought a tear to the eye,” and another reflected: “I’ve been coming here for forty years and I didn’t know the original barn had burnt down… I learnt more in that dark room about the Blacket Barn than in 40 years of coming to Tocal.”
They Call Me Blacket was developed in collaboration with Tocal Homestead as part of This Here Then Now (THTN), a region-wide program produced by Arts Upper Hunter and coordinated by Suzannah Jones. Supported by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, the NSW Government, and the C.B. Alexander Foundation, the project paired contemporary artists with three Upper Hunter museums to activate local collections through new, site-specific works. Todd Fuller worked with Tocal Homestead, Sophie Cox collaborated with Scone Museum, and Helene Leane partnered with Dungog Museum. Through this project, each artist engaged with local history, creating works that offer fresh perspectives on the region’s cultural heritage.
Fuller’s contribution to the project highlights the power of animation to breathe life into the built environment and reconnect audiences with regional heritage. As part of the exhibition, Fuller also gave a talk onsite, offering insight into his process and deepening the public’s connection to the work.
Todd Fuller has built an acclaimed practice over the past decade, with award-winning works that explore themes of love, loss, community, and identity. He has held numerous prestigious residencies including at Bundanon, the British School at Rome, and the NG Creative Residency in Provence. His work is held in major public collections including Artbank, Parliament House, and regional galleries across the country.
While They Call Me Blacket was created for a specific moment in time and place, its impact continues—reminding us that even the quietest buildings can hold generations of stories, if we only stop to listen.
Todd Fuller is represented by .M Contemporary gallery, Sydney. Todd Fuller | .M Contemporary
Special thanks to local historians Kathryn Hobson and Dr Cameron Archer for their invaluable contributions to the research behind this project. Sincere thanks also to filmmaker Thomas Ryan for his thoughtful video documentation of the exhibition and to Ann Coates of Upstage Theatre, Maitland, for her support and involvement.
This Here Then Now could not happen without the support of the Regional Arts Fund, the NSW Government and the CB Alexander Foundation;
“The Regional Arts Fund is an Australian Government initiative supporting the arts in regional, remote and very remote / isolated Australia.”
