Home Less is a three-part body of work that explores the impact of different levels of homelessness in Australia. While all three works can be stand alone pieces, together they are fundamentally linked not only as an art work but for their inherent representation of Society’s failings. Human relationships with the environment have a long history of destruction in the pursuit of improvement and the impact it has on society can be devastating. Through this work I am exploring infrastructure, mental health issues and the humans basic need for security and shelter. In his influential paper of 1943, A Theory of Human Motivation, the American psychologist Abraham Maslow stated that at the core, humans must have their physiological needs such as food, shelter and safety met first in order to be able to live a satisfactory life. These basic needs are what are compromised when shelter is lost or taken away. [i]
Part 1 – Unravelling is a visual representation of the increasing infrastructure of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs. To ‘build a better city’, the new structures have increased the value of properties and therefore the rental affordability has become unattainable for the majority. Governments current neoliberalism structure has meant that only people with high incomes can afford the luxury of living within a few hours of Sydney and this has pushed out many individuals and families which has a detrimental impact on the diversity of the city. This work shows Sydney literally unravelling under pressure, while below we see the tangled mess that can be left behind.
Part 2 – So I Move is a short video narrative conveying a personal account of the spiral effect that can lead to homelessness and the pressures that arise when a person struggles to emerge from setbacks. Self-imposed negative thought patterns and outside influences including natural disasters and the death of loved ones can be seen in this emotive work as I come to terms with my current living status and future prospects.
Part 3 – I Huff and I Puff is a sculptural structure depicting life as a rough sleeper. The newspaper which for most is considered reading material or recycling can provide warmth and shelter for others. By rendering the newspaper to resemble concrete, this work has been repurposed into an unstable building material which shows the fragility of a life lived on the streets. Influenced by the Home Invasion Series by Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, in particular The Cordial Home Project, I Huff and I Puff plays with the ‘value’ of home and security by reconfiguring material and placing them in an obvious and playful house of cards structure.
Through this work I am opening a discussion into what homelessness actually is and aspire to change the somewhat inaccurate and defamatory view that some people have regarding the reasons behind it.
“Our Hierarchy of Needs” (Psychology Today) <https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201205/our-hierarchy-needs> accessed September 18, 2018
https://www.claireandsean.com/home_inavasion.pdf
[i] Psychology Today “Our Hierarchy of Needs”
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