Framework - Issue 1

#1 | the renewal issue

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Tucume, Peru

Editorial

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Framework.

From its initial conception, Framework was envisaged as a platform to facilitate, encourage and celebrate arts writing and critical dialogue at COFA. It is our hope that Framework not only showcases the knowledge, skills and talent of COFA students, both past and present, but also provides a space for the student community to develop their professional practice and contribute to a wider dialogue in the visual arts and design sector.

This first edition of Framework explores notions of renewal, not only in relation to how we engage with our natural environment, but also in terms of exploring sustainable approaches to art practice and revising our understanding of the industry as a whole. 2013 marks the beginning of a new chapter for COFA with the recently unveiled campus and the appointment of Professor Ross Harley as Dean.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributing writers and the staff at Arc@COFA for their support, particularly Penelope Benton, Kelly Doley and Lachlan Herd. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank Janis Lander who, with passion and unwavering commitment, coordinated and edited The College Voice for 10 years. Wrapping up late last year, The College Voice really provided the impetus and inspiration for Framework.

Published four times a year, each issue of Framework will be themed. The next edition will explore gender and sexuality in contemporary art. If you are interested in contributing, please email cofa@arc.unsw.edu.au.

Thank you for reading and I’ve no doubt you will enjoy this first issue of Framework.

- Liz Nowell

THE RENEWAL ISSUE

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ARTIST PROFILE Gemma Messih

Volume 1, Issue 1

Q&A Khadim Ali

Editor

Liz Nowell Contributors

An Idea WortH Replicating

Lydia Bradshaw Georgia Hobbs Ben Messih Boo Patrick Georgie Payne-Loy Kate Rorison Design

Chris Vernon

by Georgie Payne-Loy

Thanks

Arc@COFA Enquiries

cofa@arc.unsw.edu.au arc.unsw.edu.au/ cofaframework

maKING ROOM

by Katie Rorison

Front cover image

REVIEW

REVIEW

innerouter

Chicks on speed

Khadim Ali, The Haunted Lotus, 2011-12, gouache, ink and gold leaf on wasli paper, 280 x 50cm overall. Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery.

Copyright 2013 Authors, Artists, Contributors and Arc@COFA

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Gemma Messih

by Lydia Bradshaw

Having returned from a year abroad spent between Berlin and at an artist residency in Skagaströnd, Iceland, emerging artist Gemma Messih is currently completing their Honours year at COFA. This year, Messih continues to build upon an already impressive and consolidated body of work. Working across mediums, incorporating photo media, sculpture, installation, film and text, the artist works to slow down the human perception of the natural environment. Aesthetically beautiful and thought provoking, Messih’s art practice is concerned with our interaction and understanding of the natural world.

Experiencing Messih’s work for the first time is much like meeting the artist themself: gentle, personal, calm, and contemplative. Upon closer inspection, however, these collective works reveal an additional layering of sentiment. They project a sense of love and desire but also reveal, or perhaps allude to an inner anxiety or anticipation. This is most apparent in the artist’s personalisation of the natural environment – nurturing their relationship with nature in much the same way one would a lover or a friend. In this way, Messih operates at a level of personal equality with the environment, inadvertently advocating for a collective and mutual respect.

Having curated an exhibition at COFA’s own Kudos Gallery, as well as exhibiting at the Sydney based MOP and at Catalyst Arts in Belfast, Messih is now focusing their attention on ‘Home and Hosed’, a group exhibition at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre, opening May 18. For this show, Messih plans to accompany Sutherland Shire council workers as they go out and cut off the branch of a tree. Messih will video the tree in its final moments, using this footage as a reference to later recreate the wind in the gallery space. Timed pedestal fans positioned at various points will be used to achieve this, and in turn attempt to prolong the branches final moments and give it a second chance.

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To see Gemma’s work online, or for more information, go to gemmamessih.com

01 Gemma Messih, I wonder how close I can get to you without being near you, 2013 02 Gemma Messih, I’ve only just realised how important you are (to me), 2012, type C print, blue metal rail ballast, edition of 3 + AP. Photography: Sarah Mosca

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Q&A with

KHADIM ALI

01 Khadim Ali, Rustam, 2009, gouache and goldleaf on wasli paper, 70 x 50cm. Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery.

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COFA Master of Fine Arts candidate Khadim Ali revives the centuries-old tradition of miniature painting in his intricate works on display in the COFA space exhibition The Haunted Lotus. Ali’s work reflects a personal desire to reclaim the mythical narratives of the heroes and demons of the Persian epic the Shahnameh, debauched by the Taliban in his native Pakistan and Afghanistan. A member of the persecuted Hazara minority, Khadim Ali renews the stories with highly charged personal and political symbolism. Ali has exhibited at the 2009 Venice Biennale and at dOCUMENTA (13) and has work in collections around the world including the Guggenheim Museum and The Art Gallery of NSW. Ben Messih caught up with Khadim Ali for a Q&A about his history, influences and practice.

BM Can you give us a brief insight into your personal history and how you came to be a MFA Candidate at COFA? KA When I moved here in 2009 a friend of mine introduced me to Cross Art Projects’ Jo Holder. It was Jo who really helped to get me into COFA - she introduced me to Ian Howard and Diane Losche, and it was her suggestion that I apply for a Master of Fine Arts. I received a scholarship and an APA so it was a really good opportunity to continue my studies. I wanted to do my Masters in Pakistan but [couldn’t] because the situation in Pakistan is getting worse for the Hazara, so getting a scholarship was kind of a dream come true.

BM Your exhibition ‘The Haunted Lotus’ opened at COFA space on March 25.

What is the significance of the title The Haunted Lotus?

KA The idea of ‘The Haunted Lotus’ is not new in my work. I was researching the lotus flowers at the Buddhist site of Bamiyan in Afghanistan where the Taliban destroyed two giant statues of Buddha in 2001. I went there to see the site after the destruction, all of the

sculptures were destroyed and all the paintings on the roof or on the wall were burnt. Curiously, many of the original lotus sculptures, reliefs and paintings remained. It was then that I began to delve deeper into the symbolism of the lotus: what the lotus is and why the lotus had arrived there. I thought ‘how haunted they are’, these things – these lotuses – are signifying how haunted the history of this place is and how the images got merged into different sects, different dynasties or different schools of thought. The Taliban in Bamiyan, did they leave those lotuses deliberately? Why didn't they destroy the lotuses?

So the lotus flowers represent something hidden alive in another environment. It made me feel like I am that lotus and I felt as though I was haunted or being horrified.

BM Your works heavily feature the demon motif. Are these demons purely external or in response to your own internal demons present in your inner world?

KA So when my Hazara great-grandparents fled into what was then India (prior to the partitioning of India and Pakistan in 1947) they had two books with them.

Of course because they were Muslim, they had the Koran

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and the other book was Shahnameh, or The Book of Kings, which was written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi in 1010 CE. The Shahnameh is a secular epic poem book, the stories and characters are fictional, but the places the author mentions are all real. There are lots of demons in the stories and at the end, the hero, Rustam is betrayed and killed by his own friend, so what survives in this story is the dark side of humanity: the demons. In 2000 I went to Afghanistan, I witnessed the Taliban calling themselves Rustam - I looked around and I found all of these demonic characters and nothing was bringing them closer to the gentleman Rustam, the hero that I had in my mind. It reminded me that this land actually killed these heroes, this land actually betrayed these heroes and now all of these demons are calling themselves Rustam, because Rustam is the symbol of heroism. I went into my own history, we are Hazara Shi’ite, in Pakistan and Afghanistan most of the population are of the belief that the Shi’ite are infidels. They call us ‘non-human’ and they treat us as though we are exactly that. If we really are what they claim - not human and they are killing us [the Hazara Shi’ites] and they are calling themselves Rustam, ultimately we become the demons. So from that I have this understanding that we are the demons written into the history of Afghanistan - because they were the authorities and an authority’s history is his story. So now I’m just dealing with the demons and thinking, maybe, we are those demons and it’s a collective self-portrait

BM Can you tell us a bit more about the Shahnameh and why it has had such a profound impact on your practice?

KA My grandfather was a Shahnameh singer so I remember when I was a kid, in those rural areas we didn’t have electricity, we didn't have radio; the only source of entertainment were these stories of the culture in the Shahnameh which was brought by my Grandfather into Quetta, Pakistan. In Afghanistan’s very harsh weather my grandparents had only 4 months of summer for agriculture, the other 8 months they were all trying to entertain themselves in the snow and the cold weather.

Singing stories from the Shahnameh for those people - for

me - it was, the most motivating subject of my life, it was the only thing I had in my life: the story of heroes, the story of demons. I grew up listening to those stories of demons and Rustam.

BM Do you view your use of The Rustam narrative and The Shahnameh as an effort to reclaim your own cultural heritage and the Rustam narrative from the Taliban? And do you feel pressure to reveal these truths?

KA I’m retelling the stories, I’m not dealing with the society or with specific people, its all to do with my history and my own self, it’s a kind of counseling between myself and my history. Just trying to trace where or why we turn into demons? I’ve never thought about the public or other factors of my works like ‘what are the impacts of these artworks on the audience of these works’ - ‘What are the impacts of these works on my own self’ is far more important to me.

BM You have studied in mural painting and traditional miniature painting, these two practices seem almost juxtaposed – do you view your practice as a synthesis of these schools, or do you view yourself as strictly a miniaturist with a background in mural painting?

KA I wasn’t a mural painter by choice. When I was a refugee in Iran I was doing it for my survival. I went to an art class and my teacher found my work stronger than the other student’s work, he booked me for his own projects and I studied painting murals with him. The murals were all Islamic propaganda: images of the Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran and a girl praying as the door of heaven opened, along with images of Rustam with verses from the Koran for example. They were really all those things that I didn't want to do but was trapped into doing.

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02 Khadim Ali, The Haunted Lotus, 2011-12, gouache, ink and gold leaf on wasli paper, 280 x 50cm overall. Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery.

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My first encounter with the art world were the miniature paintings in the Shahnameh, I grew up looking at them, I grew up looking at that character of the hero in the illustrations. When I got back from Iran to Pakistan I got a scholarship at the National College of Arts (Lahore, Pakistan) and I found out they did miniature painting and then I thought, well I’m made for miniature painting so I went into miniature painting there. Mural painting doesn't have anything to complement miniature painting; mural painting was for my survival, I didn't like painting murals, [although] I enjoyed finishing them, looking at the mural from the far distance, it gave me the feeling that my inner world has a projection that is de-scaling other people.

BM What does the rest of 2013 look like for Khadim Ali? KA My graduation show, ‘The Haunted Lotus’, will be at COFAspace from March 26-30, this is my most important show, and will feature even bigger works than I exhibited at dOCUMENTA 13 (Kassel, Germany, 2012) - ‘The Haunted Lotus’ is the biggest show of my life. Shortly after, I have work in a show at Casula Powerhouse (‘Landlock’, 30 March – 12 May), and in April I am going to the Guggenheim in New York to conduct a workshop for teachers. I’m going to the Museum of Islamic Art (Doha, Qatar) in May to conduct workshops over two weeks. I’m also returning to Afghanistan to conduct workshops in June and July. I have been invited to San Art in Vietnam to do a one-month residency and I have a shows in Taipei and at Hong Kong Art Centre in November and will also working on a project to show in the Project Space at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in March 2014.

Khadim Ali’s exhibition The Haunted Lotus was at COFAspace between March 26 and March 30, 2013. Landlock is on show until 12 May at Casula Powerhouse, 1 Casula Powerhouse Road, Casula.

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03 Khadim Ali, Haunted Lotus, 2012, watercolour, gouache and ink on wasli paper, 75 x 56 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery.

An Idea WortH Replicating

by Georgie Payne-Loy

01. Cocachimba, Peru

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It is 2013. We have survived the terrible end predicted by the Mayan calendar and the terrible movie, 2012. We skipped over an uneventful Y2K, and managed to avoid further impending doom slated for a variety of arbitrary dates predicted by a selection of Nostrodamus-like ‘experts’. Now that the human race has pulled through largely unscathed from world ending mass destruction, what do we do now?

Well, it hasn’t all come up Millhouse; we still have a fairly problematic environmental issue on our hands, not to mention a rising number of reality television programs where the producers appear to be seeking increasingly dumbed-down characters. Perhaps it’s time for a revolution of sorts, not against reality TV in particular, but a slow and comprehensive burn that finds its birthplace within the arts. What a perfectly wonderful place to engage with the idea of change.

The war begins with communicating the importance of sorting your rubbish into recyclables, with cutting two minutes from your morning shower, with flicking a switch when walking out of a room. Cognitive dissonance, it seems, has a lot to answer for. This is where the brain can separate the truth it has experienced from what it wants to believe in order to retain belief in that thing.

Brains have an amazing capacity to shroud fact in order to continue living unaffected.

Cognitive dissonance can exist on a sliding scale and has given way to the substantial argument of our time: how fast is our planet dying and how much do we need to be doing about it?

The truth of our era is that nobody knows for sure, a fact that may prove to be harmless or devastating. So we humans have been getting to work doing what we do best: debating the issue. We do not only debate in parliament, online, in the scientific community, or in newspapers, we also make art.

The art world is experiencing uncertainty - uncertainty about where to go from here, particularly now that post-modernity has had its last hoorah. Academics are eager to coin a term that will encompass this period, and anything has to be better than post postmodernism. Historically art has surged with character when responding to social and political upheaval and it appears that the bar has been set quite lofty once more; we may even be witnessing the first time social concerns and art are existing as cohesion. Instead of reflecting and appropriating ideas and questions, a possible answer is being offered within the creative process itself.

Sergio Abugattas Tenaud and Ed Horne are two artists whose work integrates people and the environment as a central tenet to their practice. They are also soon to be setting off on an adventure to a tiny village in the Amazonas of Peru where they will work with locals and international volunteers to build a physical self-sustainable platform from where new ideas and projects will be born.

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Ed has received his BFA from COFA and Sergio is currently completing his Masters in Fine Arts at COFA as well. Both artists are passionate about developing work that not only makes people reconsider preconceived notions, but draws dynamic action and thought from the passive observer. They both work in similarly unconventional mediums and places, making the middle of nowhere a perfect amalgam for two like-minded creative beings.

“We’re in a crisis”, says Sergio, as he sits at his kitchen table debating what it means to live in this precarious time, partner Leonie Therrien Tremblay and comrade in arms Ed Horne either side of him.

Ed pipes up, “the importance of this studio is getting back to basics, this is what we need – we need to get back to nature and understand what technology we need to survive. It’s not isolated to local knowledge, the knowledge locals can have is totally global.”

In this scenario, Ed is talking about the locals of the village of Cocachimba where ‘GoctaLab’ will strike new ground in its unique approach to art and sustainability.

Cocachimba is approximately 700 kilometres to the north west of Lima in an isolated environment backing onto arguably (it is contentious due to different measuring techniques), the world’s third tallest waterfall. Sergio, who is Peruvian, has spent time with the locals in this village understanding the daily practice of their lives, which includes a rich knowledge base in permaculture - an essential skill in such an isolated environment. He broached the project to the leaders of Cocachimba in an exercise of trust, hoping they would understand the motivation of GoctaLab is not to intrude upon their lives with a patriarchal value system in tow, but that this project will bring about an exchange of knowledge that may give way to new ideas in art, environmental and social sustainability, and in life.

The village only opened itself up to western influence a mere five years ago, which makes this trust so vital. With the consent of the leaders, Sergio has purchased land within Cocachimba that has its own water supply (a hole in the ground that dribbles), an ancient terrace system, rich soil and exciting prospects.

“The construction of GoctaLab’s physical facilities, and also the ongoing research carried out there, will be underpinned by advanced sustainable technologies – solar, wind and water.” Sergio has been brewing his ideas for some years now and is eager to create an environment where not only artists collaborate, but those who are passionate about sharing ideas from a range of disciplines can come and learn about transitional technologies and perhaps replicate these themes elsewhere. “GoctaLab’s residency program will act as a platform for encouraging exchange between Australia and Peru. At a tertiary level there will be the possibility of undertaking some courses in Peru with credits next year.”

At this point in time no details are secured, however COFA students will be the first to know when the plans are solidified.

Knowledge cannot be contained within allocated pigeonholes under pre-determined discipline umbrellas.

Sergio and Ed are eager to see art and science argue and collaborate, rage and then calm down for a cup of tea and a sensible chat, so that a happy and innovative consensus of ideas and answers may be settled upon for now. It’s all for the love, and a lot for the health of this planet.

Sergio noted finally, “…art can act as a tool for social advancement and to contribute in creating awareness and sparking necessary dialogue, and most importantly: action, on crucial issues regarding socio-environmental challenges possibly never faced by human civilisation before. GoctaLab will be an ’evolving organism’ a closed system that will hopefully replicate itself. It will feed itself and produce its own energy. The GoctaLab experimental platform is an effort to further the artistic cause. It is ultimately an evolving intervention, an ongoing performance through an international collaboration that seeks to blur boundaries between disciplines in search of common sense.”

GoctaLab is in the process of building an open-source website and developing further presence on and offline, but if you are eager to stay in touch with the project evolution or simply want to find out more, please email info@goctalab.com.

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02. Sacha Puya, Peru 03. Tucume, Peru

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MAKING

ROOM

by Katie Rorison

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In a country as vast as Australia and a city so urbanised as Sydney, the dilemma of finding a vacant or available space to exhibit artistic work can seem a little puzzling. Ironic as it may be, it is a common struggle that runs through artistic communities everywhere – one particularly felt by emerging artists who are just starting out and wanting to be given a chance. A common barrier for both established and emerging artists include lack of gallery representation and the need for an innovative, or at least, adequate space.

So what is defined as an ‘adequate’ space to showcase art? Does it have to be limited to the interiors of a gallery where four white walls represent the extent to which you can express your artistry? Some innovative members of the artistic community along with patrons of the arts, entrepreneurs and of course artist’s themselves would say not. The desire and need for artists to have spaces to showcase their works without limiting or sacrificing their creative integrity is seen as paramount to the future success and strength of the arts as a cultural institution in contemporary society. Many local, regional, national and international programs have been created for this particular reason.

Put simply, such programs aim to create or provide space for artistic purposes and in doing so not only provide the artist with a platform to show their work, but also support society’s cultural heritage of providing public access to art and culture. Such initiatives are creating a much desired sense of renewal in places or spaces that would otherwise be overlooked or discarded as suitable artistic settings. These initiatives have an ‘everything old is new again’ sense about them where often overlooked, forgotten or unusual places are revitalised as they are injected with vitality and filled with life once again.

Renew Newcastle has been responsible for some great projects that utilise local creativity and talent by making use of disused shops and offices and transforming them into studios or galleries for short term use. Renew Newcastle’s renovation of the historic David Jones building on Hunter St, has resulted in the popular shopping arcade The Emporium. Home to vintage fashion label InVintaged, clock sculptures gallery It’s About Time and many other stores and mini galleries, The Emporium has brought new energy to the Hunter Street Mall as well as providing artists and craftspeople with an opportunity to break into the professional industries in their field.

Renew Newcastle has also assisted award winning local photography business, DARCY +ROSE with providing a space that acts as both a studio to shoot in as well as to run photography workshops for the public. The projects are diverse in what they offer and vary in what they provide the artists and community groups who use the spaces. For artist Sarah Mould, her studio gives her a space where she can sit and create works without the outside disruptions of the world, while for pop culture artist Sophia Flegg it is a place to display her art in her gallery ‘Smack Bang’.

01. Simone Darcy (DARCY & ROSE), Ahn + Pete, The Bus Stop Project, 2011, digital print. Image courtesy of the artist.

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Founder and Creative Director of Renew Newcastle Marcus Westbury, created the not for profit company and its business model to help solve the problem of urban decay in Inner Newcastle’s CBD, where abandoned streets lined with empty shops and ‘For Lease’ signs had become the norm. Since its initiation in 2008, Renew Newcastle has implemented over 90 projects that has not only resulted in the complete revitalisation of the area physically but has promoted local art and culture, provided opportunities for community involvement and established business partnerships while doing so. It has also been the inspiration for many similar programs such as Renew Adelaide, Renew Townsville, Pop –Up Parramatta and Made in Geelong. Renew Newcastle has undoubtedly been a huge success, so it comes with no surprise that a new enterprise based on the experiences and strategy model of Renew Newcastle has now been established to bring renewal into communities through arts and creative practices on a national level. This organisation is known as Renew Australia and his also headed by Renew Newcastle founder Marcus Westbury.

Being of a larger scale, Renew Australia offer services to government bodies and businesses for a fee and then uses this revenue to give widespread support to artists and community groups around Australia through funding and subsidies. Being a fairly new project, Renew Australia has the potential to have an immense and positive impact on many creative communities.

Recently, Renew Australia presented ‘Creating Spaces – A Community Renewal Conference’, where community members from around Australia came to Newcastle to attend what was the “largest gathering of creative space activation enthusiasts to date.” Tools and strategies for reactivating or renewing empty spaces were discussed and attendees were encouraged to take these and implement them in their own towns and cities.

The sharing of this information could be seen as the planting of many seeds, in the hope that they would grow into successful programs or organisations that further the good work that the Renew initiatives have already achieved. The current issues such as lack of innovative space or representation faced by emerging artists and creative groups in general show that there is certainly still a desire and need for such revitalisation schemes. These schemes provide so much more making the old new again, or turning something plain into something pretty.

They provided a space where artist and community are able to come together to communicate, appreciate and share the values of art and culture. Such spaces are not only special, but vital in the ever-changing landscape of contemporary society.

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02. Hannah Rose (DARCY & ROSE), A kitten taunts the camp dogs, Bayandun Eastern Mongolia from ‘The Last Nomad’ series. Image courtesy of the artist., Newcastle 03. Sarah Mould, Technicolour Dream Cats, acrylic on board

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innerouter Words by Georgia Hobbs

Earlier last month Sarah Cottier Gallery re-opened its doors at a new location in Paddington. This new gallery space was feted appropriately by the opening of a show by Sydneybased artist Jamie North, whose work addresses the themes of regeneration and revitalisation.

A photographer and sculptor, North’s practice is concerned with documenting ecological systems and examining the relationship between the organic and the inorganic. An extension of this theme, North’s most recent show at Sarah Cottier, entitled ‘innerouter’, is comprised of five cylindrical concrete sculptures, in which plant species native to the Sydney area are found supported inside (one even houses several fish!)

These ‘living sculptures’ are best suited to the outdoors, ideally located in a protected area with ample sunlight, and once developed will require little attention. However, in the gallery they survive in a small white room, with plenty of natural light and are tended to daily. The works are grouped together in a pyramidal structure, ascending

in order of height, giving them a commanding presence and allowing the ideas implicit in them to resonate.

The sculptures explore the dichotomy between the inorganic and the organic; just as the plant species are native to the Sydney area, the concrete too is made up of aggregates of cement, steel slag and coal ash taken from the local industrial sites of Wollongong and Lake Macquarie. By reuniting local plants with these industrial areas, North references the destruction of the environment caused by urbanisation and industrialisation.

However, where historically the environment has lost out, this will not be the case here. A tough negotiation between the living and non-living will ensue, but the plants will continue to grow and eventually there will be an assertion of nature over the man-made.

While the work undeniably addresses the ugly issues of environmental destruction, the juxtaposing elements in the sculptures are striking. The pouring technique and oxidisation of the concrete has resulted in a stunning marbling effect on the outer shell. This patterned grey is contrasted dramatically by the vibrant greens and textures of the plants in the centre.

Far from the issues of environmental destruction, one leaves with a reassuring impression of beauty and renewal.

01 Flume, 2013, fibre reinforced concrete (portland cement, coal ash, steel slag, iron oxide), plant species include; Ficus rubiginosa (Port Jackson Fig) and Pyrrosia rupestris (Rock Felt Fern), Psilotum nudum (Fork Fern) 180 x 30 x 30cm

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Jamie North innerouter was at Sarah Cottier Gallery, 23 Roylston St Paddington, 1-28 March

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stimulate your system

by Boo Patricka

Chicks on Speed introduce ‘SCREAM’ with a heartbeat; the insistent throb of a bass drum reverberating throughout Woolloomooloo’s wharves. Stepping past the smoking throngs, I pass through the parted lips of a glossy mouth, legs scraping against its rough cardboard incision. Beyond this, the gallery is a vista of molten, moving video screens with the artists later taking centre stage amidst a jumble of upended white blocks, fluoresced by waving light sticks.

The music pulsates with restless energy; riot-grrrl revolutionary rants punctuated with chanted repetition.

The Chicks on Speed duo enter the space as futuristic charlatans, bizarre glitter body paint offsetting their elaborate hairstyles and neon, origami-inspired clothes.

They are joined onstage by the plastic-encased Lycra Ladies, whose frenetic and unrepressed dancing complemented the animalism of their songs. Comprised of members Alex Murray-Leslie and Melissa Logan, Chicks on Speed is a band, record label, design team and performance troupe condensed. Their work is an example of internationally realised, multidisciplinary practice.

glass-enclosed plinth, the only example of a professional ‘white cube’ installation within the gallery. Behind this plinth the group is revealed standing side-by-side with each person holding the ankle to her left, playing the shoes as instruments. Even further beyond stands a darkened room containing a nude Kate Moss modelling the E-Shoe and accompanied by a video of a banana, which peels and unpeels in response to vocal stimulation.

It is a bizarre sound visualisation. Several other Warholesque bananas appear in the group’s collages, presented alongside pixelated imagery, evocative of 80s cybertrash culture.

Despite the 80s club aesthetic, the performance is more akin to a tribal ceremony than a rave. One of the artists presents a politically engaged monologue through a cartoonish, head-mounted voice changing device in a manner more akin to an occult preacher than a singer.

The specifics are lost on me - the substantial ambient sound present in the gallery rendering her words indistinct. While this auditory occlusion isn’t substantial enough to alter the essence of the performance, it does lessen the political pertinence and apparent relevance.

The group’s style is an intriguing hybrid of recycled, playful pop-imagery, combined with surprisingly sophisticated sensory technology. On one wall of the exhibition sits a tapestry woven from glitter thread, forming the image of an eye. Moving your hands over the work triggers various sounds, which are relayed through two speakers, a delightfully tactile method of sound production.

The exhibition space functions as a true extension of the artists; the folds of their costumes mirrored in the draped, technicolour swathes and painted dashes adorning the gallery. The group’s most famous piece, a stiletto strung with guitar strings, a.k.a. the E-Shoe, is presented in a

One of the dangers of sensory media is the tendency for it to go unexplored, and for the full experience of works to remain unrealised. If approached with curiosity, ‘SCREAM’ is an energising experience and an ideal remedy for the ‘disinterested’ mode of art viewing, endemic to gallery spaces.

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Chicks On Speed’s exhibition, SCREAM, will be at ARTSPACE until the 21st of April.

01 Chicks on Speed, production image for SCREAM, courtesy of Chicks on Speed and Kathrin Krothenthaler 02 Chicks on Speed, Lycra Ladies and Billy Lime, U is for Utopia, 2013, production still, courtesy of the artists, collaborators and Artspace Sydney