On Thursday night I helped out with Ricarda and collaborator Michael Spooner’s exhibition. The layout of the space was really beautiful and I was gob-smacked with the wallpaper that was designed and carefully pinned in place by Ricarda’s husband. The simplicity of the space made me think back to the planning that went into my container and I know that this space would have been painstakingly thought out. I was there for the entire opening and it was great to watch the behavior of those taking part in the portraits and those standing on the side taking a peak.
I was inviting people to sit for the portraits with the ‘elephant knits’. Some people were excited to get into the fun of the night, others were a little more hesitant but I think the fact that they could hide under the elephant skins was a factor that pushed them over the line. There were so many ways that you could style the skins. It was a great way to get people to interact with and understand the work. It wasn’t a static environment; everyone had a lot of energy. I loved pointing out to people the front legs, back legs, trunk and tusks. When they looked over to the person sitting for the portrait or seeing it hung from the wall there was a great moment when they put all the pieces in the space together and ‘got it’. There was a similar moment with my work when I would point out the loops in the paper knit, show the booklet, direct them to the shoes and bangle or explain the actual dress is made from neoprene. That moment of connection is great, and it can happen in so many different ways for every single person. In my work, it’s a goal post to work towards.

The last day of the exhibition was the busiest I’ve had so far. I had great support from family and friends who have come along to see the exhibition, so it was good to have a busy day to finish the week off. I thought I’d sum up what the experience has been like so far…
-People are afraid of the lil grey container..
The best part about the containers was the location. I didn’t invite the public to my space; I invaded their space. So naturally people are unsure of why a container is plonked on a basketball court in the middle of RMIT. Next year, I think there needs to be at least two containers in one spot. It wouldn’t be as intimidating going up to two containers, and people can get see two exhibitions at once.
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After all the sleepless nights, last night was finally time to see the fruit of everyone’s labour. It was such a high standard of work that it was impossible not to be so proud of all my friends. I became the embarrassing aunt for the night, sitting front row to snap hundreds of photos.

Being there for all the ups and downs I didn’t regret deciding to focus solely on the exhibition. The night did make me think about the relationship between the runway and the audience. One of the reasons for choosing the exhibition over the runway was the immense amount of work that gets poured into four minutes of show. Experiencing the runway last night reminded me of the magic that is in that moment.

I was watching a SHOWstudio video of Gareth Pugh talking about the runway and it was interesting to hear his perspective. Pugh noted, ‘the thing I didn’t realise is the image you put out-it’s not the show, it’s the image of that people take…it’s more important with everything so visible now to reconsider how I present.”
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Due to the weather there weren’t a lot of people around Bowen St today. I had a some visitors but only a couple of people came in and talked to me. Having said that the people who did come and talk to me were really interested in the work and wanted to know the who, what, when, why and how’s of my project. The best part of the exhibition is having a conversation with complete strangers about my work. This is the first day I’ve had with my image booklet, and it really helped people to understand my process and what lead me to this point.

I walked up to Bowen St today and saw the orange fencing thinking, ‘I hope the fencing doesn’t stop people from finding the exhibition.’ Then I walked a little further and realised I couldn’t get within ten metres of the container! To cut a long and annoying story short, the giant crane will be there until end of day Friday. Looking at the photo’s I took from today, all you can do is laugh. The crane totally dwarfs the container. The exhibition has been delayed a little but I’ve been allowed to open on Monday which will allow people more time to get to the exhibition. Plus, RMIT returns from classes on Monday.

The hours over the weekend will be extended a little also, 11am-6pm Sat/Sun and 11-4 on Monday.