untitled [7 hours]

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: 'Untitled [seven hours]' was a durational work, part of the group exhibition 'Between Two Homes'. The site was a soon-to-be demolished 1890s Victorian workers cottage in Spotswood. The group of eight artists, architects and performers responded to the space, working with the fabric of the building to interrogate, intervene and interrupt, forming a united rethinking of renovation and a reflection upon the passage of time. The exhibition ran from 11th-17th September 2016 and was accompanied by an artist's talk, facilitated by Professor David Cross of Deakin University. The project was supported by Hobsons Bay City Council Arts and Culture unit. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: Carey's contribution to the exhibition extends upon his material 'rendering' techniques developed in previous works - intensively engaging with a section of floor through sanding and reconfiguring the remnants within the space. Through this slow material/immaterial engagement, deep explorations of durational methods, processes and outcomes are investigated, offering slow and extended experiences for audiences. The work considers time as method, as content and as material. The project extends Carey's research practice, contributing new understandings of material engagement with site, and ways of reconstructing, observing, occupying and honouring interiors, especially sites in transition. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The support by Hobsons Bay City Council Arts and Culture unit evidences the exhibition's significance, along with its presentation by Blackartprojects, a leading contemporary art institution, that rather than presenting projects in conventional gallery spaces, seeks to engage the contemporary art community in unusual presentations of creative work.