Coal River was made for the Critical Animals Experimental Art symposium at This Is Not Art Festival in Newcastle, Australia.
The Newcastle Obelisk is both a monument to the changing economic conditions of the city (an archaic navigational aide in the world’s busiest coal port) and a site of contemporary social relations and history (an iconic place where young lovers, families and drinkers come to enjoy the view). It also sits within the historic Prospect Hill area, a site of indigenous import for thousands of years and the vantage from which much colonial art was devised, including the works of Joseph Lycett. Coal River is a series of projections that intervene in the vectors of that historic space. Sliding between layers, from visualisations of the last 15 years of coal prices to appropriated masters, the work seeks to open a conversation not simply about Newcastle’s history and its future but also how we might develop a more progressive sense of place.
It was shown between 6-9pm October 1-3, 2015.