SOME EXTRA LUCK
On tiny plots of land dotted around inner west Sydney, artists have been charged to dream big.
Micro Parks is a continuation of Performance Space’s program of site-specific installations, with 2012’s Local Positioning Systems at the MCA and Halls for Hire (which included a bake-off at the CWA hall.) With Julie-Anne Long, Martin del Amo, Parachutes for Ladies and Sarah Goffman on board, wanderers can indulge in a tiny tea party, strand themselves on an island or witness a solo dance on a park bench.
Performance and video artist Kate Mitchell has concocted perhaps the most magical micro park of all. A miniature field lush with four leaf clovers, Some Extra Luck promises a charmed moment for all that tread lightly …
Mitchell takes a moment out from harvesting trifolium to tell us more.
Why do you think we need ‘some extra luck’? Some Extra Luck is a kind of fantasy situation. It is a small area with an abundance of four leaf clovers for a short period of time. It’s like being given the coordinates of the end of the rainbow and it’s right in your neighbourhood!
Traditionally four leaf clovers are known for their mythical properties, in that they a thought to provide the finder with good luck and wealth.
Social actions reveal our continued interest and beliefs in looking for luck in the way in which we buy lottery tickets, scratchies, consult astrology, have lucky stones, clothes, rituals etc.
It also plays on the idea that luck can be found anywhere, and opportunities exist in unexpected places.
How will you actually go about sourcing and installing the four leaf clovers? The four leaf clovers are being grown and cared for as this goes to print and will be ready for public collecting from the park in Erskineville from January 11th till – 13th.
What kind of effect do you hope stumbling upon this park might have in a passersby’s day? Some Extra Luck is a fun participatory work. It is a form of social sculpture and provides an additional sparkle to a tiny park that otherwise may go unnoticed or unused. It’s about re-invigorating a space in a new way and seeing how wonder and curiosity can be found in everyday situations. It’s a form of social assistance for the mind, a mood booster.
This form of ‘site-specific intervention’ is increasingly popular. Why do you think that is? Site-specific artworks bring a different dimension to existing spaces, re-invigorate them in some capacity or prompt the public to engage with the space in a new way. By our very nature we are curious animals so that most likely contributes to the appeal of site-specific artworks.
Micro Parks energises forgotten tracts of land. Are these integral to urban landscapes, or would you prefer to see them vibrantly utilised permanently? It is challenging to call some of these spaces ‘parks’; they are tiny parcels of land, leftover pockets from urban development. They are not thoroughly thought through spaces that beckon human engagement. Some spaces could be vibrantly utilised permanently just as other spaces should remain as shared green spaces. It would be far more interesting if more spontaneous projects could take place more often.
What is next for you? After the Microparks project, new video artwork will be made for The Anne Landa Award at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in May.
Jan 11-13, 2pm-7pm, cnr Albert & John Sts, Newtown, performancespace.com.au
