HABITAT
Curated by Laurence Billiet
SAT 11 OCTOBER UNTIL SAT 1 NOVEMBER 2008
Habitat features three female artists whose work explores themes of identity, home and belonging. With a common and unapologetic focus on ordinary, everyday objects the artists aim to challenge their audience's perception of the world that surrounds us and provide a commentary on the relationship between people/objects and their habitat.
Laurence Billiet's installation of wheelie bins is a playful homage to these generic objects that are the foot soldiers, or unsung heroes, of the consumption cycle. These mundane vessels are an integral part of our day-to-day landscape but their ballet goes largely un-noticed. By encompassing Utopian Slumps with miniature wheelie bins and wheelie bin paintings, the artist creates an unusual visual spectacle that incites viewers to reflect on their relationship with both the object and its purpose.
In similar vein Christine Eid's custom-made taxi domes complete with graphs denoting workplace violence devoid of statistics force us to consider the perilous habitat of taxi drivers and encourage us to question why this data is not collected. While taxis are commonly seen as a commodity or transportation device Eid's work is a reminder that these drivers are individuals and that their presence transforms an impersonal conduit into a shared moment between strangers. Lending an affectionate humour, the domes will be turned upside down and suspended from the gallery ceiling as pot plants, further domesticating the objects whilst lending them new life. The plants inside the domes will be jade plants, symbolising friendship.
Photographer Georgia Metaxas works in a documentary context with a particular interest in the notion of rituals. She records the quiet moments of waiting for public transport in NYC. The gentle lighting of the Subway Stations bestow the images a sense of formality and occasion, rendering an everyday moment beautiful, mysterious and ultimately personal.
PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDREW LLOYD
