WEWE
// Narooma Gallery 92a Campbell Street Narooma NSW 2546 WEWE Liz McCrystal 13 - 21 November 2021 // right Tools of Communication, 2021
// above Me, We, 2021
WEWE
François de La Rochefoucauld Me, We is a mixed media exhibition that uses roadwork and construction aesthetics to analyse the concept of romantic love. A mix of photo, text, ceramic and everyday objects are deployed resulting in a tongue-in-cheek expression of contemporary and historic ideas and ideals around romantic love. For some, the quality of our romantic relationships underpin the qualities of our overall lives, making the weight of finding romantic love one of the most important things in an individual’s life. Yet, unlike roadwork navigations, we are left in relative isolation, traversing this arena with few tools and an out-of-date road map.
‘There are some people who would never have fallen in love, if they had not heard there was such a thing’.
Me, We and Tools of Communication represent the concept of communication through the use of the children’s cup and string game. This work shows that the pair need to be actively involved in communicating by keeping the tension of the string, while also negotiating the role of either the speaker or the listener.
Romantic Practicalities uses free-standing, reflective, triangle hazard signs to explore the realities of contemporary text messaging practices and sharing a domestic space. This work plays with the idea that relationship expectations are more often unsexy practicalities of contemporary courtship and domestic chores.
Pillow Talk uses a double bed adorned with footpath, utility inspired markings of words and remarks. Drawing on the practical purpose of utility markings, which is to find and navigate what is usually just below the surface. This work speaks to the often unarticulated or even overlooked pressures on the couple sharing the bed.
Checklist: Romantic Love presents a list of romantic ideals on a reflective, yellow road sign. Using irony, the work highlights the absurdity of romantic love. X
// right Checklist: Romantic Love, 2021 // next page Pillow Talk (detail), 2021
// above Tools of Communication, 2021 // right Romantic Practicalities (detail), 2021
When in 1813 Jane Austen’s Mrs Bennet was desperate to see her five daughters into good (read wealthy) marriages she was negotiating the legal construct of 700 years that married women could not own property and the cultural construct that there was something wrong with a girl who could not attract a husband. Such legal and cultural frameworks nurtured inequality in relationships. Indeed we have to wonder whether Lizzie would have fallen for the arrogant Mr Darcy had their story been set in this century. The relationship dance is no longer a Minuet or even a Tango where the steps are laid down, the male leads, the female follows…yeah…nah…
Once2021
...AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER Jennifer Hawkins
upon a time … blah blah blah … and they lived happily ever after … and we all know that is not the end of the story but the beginning of an effort to build a relationship that negotiates the legal and cultural constructs of the time.
…and perhaps they can live happily ever after…
Women are learning to be legally equal, culturally nearly equal, and perhaps struggling to find balance on this legal and cultural see-saw. Now it is a complex dance. We are making up the steps as we go along. We accept when one of us gets it wrong; we learn and try again with that new insight. We negotiate boundaries and avoid the gut reactions of hundreds of years of set roles.
Having witnessed five generations of this dance, and having made some dance floor blunders, I can confirm that it is not easy.
Now men can be relieved of that inherited ego that had to be maintained at all cost - a wall that stood between them and any relationship interaction.
We can admire young people who are dancing and making it look graceful while negotiating the intricate and largely untried steps of a contemporary relationship.
// previous page Romantic Practicalities, 2021 // above Me, We (details), 2021
// above Pillow Talk, 2021
Jennifer for contributing to this zine, and allowing me to coax you into a radio interview
Narooma Gallery Committee for supporting my proposal, especially Barb and Anne for admin support Cat for her promo and marketing wizardry
Lee for her last minute printing abilities and skills Cat and Tash for looking after the gallery
Jake for emotional and practical support, and putting up with me taking over both of our studios, and the majorty of our living area to finish this work
// Thank you
Sue and Michel for supporting both events with free beverages Simon and Jen for allowing me to talk about roadside constructions as an analogy for romantic love on ABC Radio