MEL/HEL/MEL

MELBOURNE & HELSINKI 2015-16
From November 2015 to February 2016 I was the recipient of the Australia Council for the Arts studio residency at Helsinki International Artist Program (HIAP), Helsinki. The HIAP residency was integral to MEL/HEL/MEL, a project based on ideas of exchange and navigation across multiple countries and time periods.

Before leaving Melbourne for Helsinki I extracted a part of my studio wall (consisting of paint, plaster and cement) and cast the material into a cement disk form measuring 15 cm diameter by 1.5 cm deep and packed it in with my luggage. In the HIAP studio I removed a section of wall measuring the same size and inserted the disk, covering it with plaster and paint to match the existing studio wall. The project will conclude when I return to my Melbourne studio and insert the section of wall from the HIAP studio into the space left vacant.

This project is one of exchange and care. It resonates with notions of loss and gain, of things hidden and known. When we move away from home we take with us our possessions, memories and beliefs, leaving behind spaces to be filled. This project examines the significance of these exchanges and how we navigate the world we live in.