VERTICAL HOLD
Installed laser printed images
20m x 1m

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In this series of works, I installed colour laser printed images in the windows of prominent buildings in Sydney. I wanted to interact with the architecture of the city and make works that could be seen from the street. This interest was sparked by my earlier projects in artist run "shopfront" galleries like CBD Gallery in Erskine St, Sydney. Passing pedestrians, office workers and neighbouring shop owners would see the work during their normal daily routine.


I decided to take this aspect of my practice further by moving the works out into public space. I wanted to make works that enlivened the experience of the city, works that were temporary, coming and going like the traffic and pedestrians on the city streets.


The first in this series of works, Fall (1994), involved the installation of nine colour images and a video monitor in the windows of the School of Media Arts building at COFA. Visible from Greens Rd, the image of a figure in free-fall was repeated in a single row of windows running down three floors of the building. At night the windows were backlit and a video tracked the figure's endless descent.


For the next work I wanted a more public site and I approached the ABC for permission to use the windows of the circular fire escape tower of their building in Harris St, Ultimo. Fifteen images were installed from September to October 1995 in a work titled Vertical Hold: every evening she sucks up her lover from the street with her glance. These images formed three vertical bands travelling the length of the tower and were also backlit at night. Reminiscent of a celluloid film strip the images played out their unexplained narrative over the facade of the building while the busy city hummed below.

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