Polite

Polite was a coin-operated performance piece that began with the selling of waxed cloths.

Wax cloths are typically used to keep food fresh in an environmentally sustainable way, relative to the more common use of plastic wrap. Upon my wax cloths, I inscribed a list of critiques that I had written about the art school as an institution. The wax cloths were then sold for $5 each, but concealed within them was a $1 coin. The purchaser/audience member was tasked with returning the coin to the performer at a later date as a condition of the transaction; the return of the coin intrinsic to the performance.

When the purchaser returned the coin, the performer would tear a page out of an art book, scrunch it around the coin, and then hand it back to the buyer.  

Over four hours, this performance interaction took place under “dark field” lighting—a lighting technique used in luxury product photography wherein the light sources are placed in profile to create the illusion of floating. Accompanied by a loud sonic score, this project explored ideas of circulation, call and response, scientism, and commodity culture in relation to conceptual art.

RMIT BFA Graduation Exhibition, Melbourne | November 2018 | Collaborator: Hannah Taylor