William Street Windows
A temporary art space that existed at 101-111 William Street, Darlinghurst in August - November 2014
William Street Windows is/was a temporary art gallery founded and operated by Sophie Kitson in 2014, conceived during her time in the CLWS (Creative Live Work Spaces) residency hosted by the City of Sydney. Please visit http://williamstreetwindows.tumblr.com/ to see an archive of the projects displayed as part of four exhibitions/presentations held once a month from August to November.
(pics above from ‘Still Nothing New’ featuring artwork by Benjamin Forster, Dara Gill, Laura Hunt, Alex Kiers, Nikolaus Dolman, Ben Gavin, Marc Etherington, Connie Anthes, Kate Scardifield, Andrew Haining, and Jack Mannix)
At the time Sophie was exploring the conventional methodologies curators utilise to construct conversations through the assemblage of artworks and ideas in what can be seen as ‘exhibitions’. Prior to the formation of William Street Windows, the physical space (constructed of two empty car showrooms divided by an office foyer) had been abandoned for a long period of time. The spaces were not able to be opened to the general public due to insurance and other safety concerns, but both sites offered generous thick glass windows looking out onto bustling William Street.
The windows became perfect lenses to literally reframe an assortment of artworks that were on display 24/7 and free to anyone who walked past. Curatorially, the decision to assemble artworks previously exhibited, unfinished, discarded, or unloved by contemporary Sydney-based art practitioners allowed a relationship to form between the glassy bright container, the artist, and the public to see the works in a new light.
The Nothing series of exhibitions challenged and played with ideas of display, (re)presentation, commodification and public engagement - offering a wide demographic of viewers a chance to engage with contemporary work outside of its’ usual esoteric and closed modes of visual exchange (ie. art centric ecologies).
The works had already experienced or debuted their ‘newness’ to their intended audiences and on some occasions were originally met and received with mixed reviews, leaving their author to question the success/failure of the piece. Some of these pieces were the rejected last work in a series that sold all but one; and some were studies that were never completed or abandoned ideas not thought worth realising. The Nothing series encouraged participating practitioners to contribute these works specifically and like a light hearted litmus test, its’ assemblage into a new group exhibition allowed for new life and interpretation.
Participating artists:
Nothing New: Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Anna Kristensen, Tom Polo, Matthew Hopkins, Catherine Clayton-Smith, Mitchel Cumming, Tully Arnot, Rosie Deacon, Angela Garrick, Nick Garner, Chas Glover, Emily Hunt, James Shirlaw
Ingenious Inhabitants (for Art & About): Peter Nelson, Monica Brooks, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Larin Sullivan, Linda Dement, and Amber Boardman
Nothing Still: Heath Franco, Jodie Franco, Timothy Dwyer, Greg Holden, Alex Clapham and Penelope Benton, Giselle Stanborough
Still Nothing New: Kate Scardifield, Alex Kiers, Jack Mannix, Nikolaus Dolman, Ben Gavin, Connie Anthes, Andrew Haining, Dara Gill, Anna John, Marc Etherington, Laura Hunt, Hossein Ghaemi, Del Lumanta, Malcolm Whittaker, Benjamin Forster
// William Street Windows was realised through the generous support of the City of Sydney: Making Space for Creativity, Art & About, Young Henrys, Kelly Hollier, Simon Lawrence, and all participating artists.
Thank you to The Commercial, Sydney; Gallery 9, Sydney; Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta; Alaska Projects, Sydney; and STATION, Melbourne. //