HOUSE WORK

There is an undeniable appeal in seeing the spaces of those we admire: their dreaming locus for creativity, inspiration, and habit; their detritus of day-to-day-life. Diana Smith (also of performance group Brown Council) in House Work will cleave open that fascination by knocking on the doors of a group of emerging artists in a small suburban area – such as Nick Coyle, Ella Barclay, Keg de Souza and Dara Gill – and taking you with her over the threshold as each performs a simple ritual. She takes a moment to tell us more …

Why do you think, as you quote: The line between art and life should be kept as fluid, and perhaps as indistinct, as possible ? I don’t think we can remove art from everyday life or institutionalise it. I’m interested in the idea of art removed from the framework or the context of conventional galleries.

What does House Work reveal about space? This show is about domestic space and how we negotiate those spaces and perform within them. I think it’ll be interesting to see how the way we behave within the domestic sphere changes when we introduce an outside audience and make the domestic a ‘performance’.

How is ritual related to performative art practices? Ritual and ceremony has long be linked been linked to performance art practice, and cultural ritual is a major part of our lives. I’m interested in domestic ritual, and the way we live our lives, and developing art practice which makes us think through those themes.

How did you go about ‘curating’ the residents? I invited artists whose work interests me who live within my area. I set the parameters within three main streets and looked for artists who live within walking distance of each other.

Can you give us some examples of what audience members will be doing? All we’re giving audiences is the address of the first house. Once they arrive, the first household of artists will be welcoming them in, giving them a map and a few instructions. There’s not a formal process or a set route between houses, and at each location the audience will basically be invited in to see a different work based around notions of domestic ritual. It’s designed to be fairly low-key and welcoming, more like being invited over to a friend’s house than seeing a formal exhibit or performance.

Dec 10, 1pm-6pm, free but RSVP essential to obtain the meeting point somewhere in Redfern or Waterloo, 8571 9111 or admin@performancespace.com.au, performancespace.com.au