Instead of lamenting that their installation at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery would go unseen during the coronavirus shutdown, Sydney-based multidisciplinary artist Sidney McMahon has thought outside the box.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Or maybe 'into' the box, since they have taken their physical work and turned into something we can all enjoy on a screen.
'Of hope and longing' from Sidney McMahon is in the gallery in its physical version until June 27, but it will inspire a series of three livestreamed performances, starting tonight.
"Sidney is tech-savvy, and plugged into social media, and has generously rethought the installation to work as a livestream event," said Hannah Gee, the gallery's program and exhibitions coordinator.
Tonight at 6pm you can tune into 'I long for you', the first of three performances, via the gallery's social media channels, originating on Sidney's desktop but streamed to art lovers in Goulburn and beyond.
READ ALSO
"The performances correlate to an illustrated poem that's part of the physical installation," said Ms Gee.
"Sid has also asked for images and videos from the local region, and they will incorporate some of them into the performance."
The installation and performances were inspired by a residency spent in Collector.
And thanks to easing restrictions, you'll be able to also enjoy it in the flesh from June 1, when galleries and museums will be open once more.
"Before then we'll be working out how to make things safe," said Ms Gee.
"There'll be a limit on the number of people allowed in gallery at any one time.
"That obviously won't affect us as much as bigger venues, as it's easy to know who is where in this space.
"We will offer hand sanitiser, use a single entrance and exit."
Ms Gee said that their usual programs wouldn't re-start as yet, since they would involve too many people in a single space, but she expected them to be picked up down the track.
In any case, she thinks the gallery has learned a lot from the shutdown period.
"We've gained so much as an institution by putting everything up online," she said.
"We absolutely haven't missed our audience, because we have catered to them online."
