to unfurl I, II, III, IV

Background The gay marriage agenda during the gay plebiscite in Australia revealed many positions and voices that exacerbated a basic civil right. This opportunity made me question gay relationships’ contribution to a politically driven heteronormative society. In response to this, this work explores, through a photographic lens, homosexual narratives in the context of the International post minimalist conceptual vocabulary of contemporary photography. Contribution ‘Like a clap of thunder’ applies the verb ‘to unfurl’ to both a king size bed sheet in the photography studio and to the architectural framework within the gallery. The series of large-scale photographic works aim to capture an affect. I use as a keystone sculptural post minimalist art practices that engage phenomenology, materiality and formalism. Questions of politics and minimalist aesthetics are layered with a homosexual activist itinerary. Using my (yes) position towards the gay married agenda in Australia, I imaged the action of making a bed something common to all normative and queer communities using the action ‘to Unfurl’ as a performative gesture. Significance 'Like a clap of thunder' was exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Photography. The work was made during a very important period in Australia's recognition of Gay rights and dealt with these politics in a performative manner to produce a conversation about the Gay Marriage Agenda.