[please give] live in

[please give] was a collaborative project by two young Cairns-based artists, Elizabeth Dunn and Jessie Hall. Exploring the relationships that exist between artist and materials, artist and audience and artist and community, [please give] questioned the ways in which artists rely on communities to support their endeavours and assign value to their work in a regional location.

In exchange for audience contribution, participation in the creative process and access to the final installation, the artists looked to the community for inspiration and support in meeting their production and survival needs during a nine day inhabitation at KickArts. The project developed in several stages:

[Inhabitation]
Over a nine-day inhabitation period the artists were dependent on their local community to provide for them as they remained within the confines of the KickArts gallery and studio space. The artists called for and accepted donations from visitors to be used for living or art-making.

[Production]
Utilising the donated goods Elizabeth and Jessie produced a mixed media installation in repsonse to their physical and psychological experience. The gallery was accessible for public viewing throughout gallery operating hours as well as via a nightly live-stream event.

Documentation of the process was compiled daily with photographic records of donations and donators and video evidence of midday dance parties hosted in the space.

[Exhibition]
The final installation combined sculptural, assembled, audio and video works. Visitors were invited to contribute to its ongoing formation by exchanging textual messages in the 'Message Centre' and by assigning value to the presented works using the price tags provided. At the close of the exhibition last bids were called for and works were exchanged for the offered amount (monetary or otherwise).

Images