'Dismantling a monument'
Bowen Street RMIT, Melbourne
2019
“[Wo]man’s relation to locales, and through locales to spaces, inheres in [her] dwelling. The relationship between [wo]man and space is none other than dwelling, thought essentially.”–Heidegger
While ‘street harassment’ is the most prevalent form of intimidation in public places it is also the least documented by law enforcement. The tendency of authorities to trivialise these smaller incidents can condone unwanted attention and demand that the targeted individuals change their behaviour rather than the perpetrators. This project asks us to document these smaller incidents through simple gestures of resistance. The action of relocating a seemingly harmless object to a location loaded with personal memories allows us to anonymously memorialise instances of unwanted attention. Creating a new language through which to communicate, both the redistribution and remnant ghost indentations of the pebbles become a live documentation of uncomfortable interactions across the campus.
“Man’s relation to locales, and through locales to spaces, inheres in his dwelling.The relationship between man and space is none other than dwelling, thought essentially.”–HeideggerWhile ‘street harassment’ is the most prevalentform of intimidationin public places it isalsotheleast documented by law enforcement. The tendency of authorities to trivialisethesesmallerincidentscancondoneunwanted attentionanddemandthat the targeted individualschange their behaviourratherthanthe perpetrators.This project asks us to document these smaller incidents through simplegestures of resistance. The action of relocating a seemingly harmless objectto a location loaded with personal memories allowsustoanonymously memorialiseinstances of unwanted attention. Creating a new language through which to communicate,both the redistribution and remnant ghost indentationsof the pebblesbecome a live documentation of uncomfortable interactions across the campus.
How far are we willing to modify nature to suit our human needs? At which point will the human need overweigh the aesthetic quality of a plant? Is the aesthetics of a plant‐based product important to its therapeutic quality?
“Post‐apocalyptic therapeutic’ is a social engaged public artwork and a live documentation of plants in our current geological era. The participants will be asked to press flowers perceived as therapeutic to the human condition and document their pre‐apocalyptic condition. In this case, the apocalypse is defined by the destruction of all things humans currently rely on, ie the plants for sustenance and medicine. Hopefully this will begin a conversation about the qualities we see as therapeutic in plants and which modifications we are will to accept for the sake of production.