My research began before Covid-19 rendered the world a different space. Public space became something other- Melbourne experienced one of the harshest lockdowns globally at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and tactile, participatory works in public spaces were not viable. Most of the works I had in development were suddenly obsolete- unable to be performed, interacted with or shared with a live audience in public or private spaces. The Arts were one of the first industries globally to be shut down by the pandemic and 18 months on this is still the case. Whilst public gatherings and large crowds are still actively discouraged and public spaces are closed with each new lockdown, the very ways in which we view and move through our civic spaces had shifted radically. From the flood of directional signage, screens, instructions, rules, queues, entry and exits, to QR code check -ins and hand sanitising stations, the need to share touch points and close quarters with other members of the public is being constantly reinvented. How can an artist make participatory art in this climate? We are all in unfamiliar terrain. I began to think creatively about how to continue my research in these changed conditions. A series of reactionary creative investigations began… Rather than create participation for others I began to explore how I can extrapolate new meaning, new thinking, new ways of seeing and to re-contextualise the materiality of the projects I had begun.

Utilising what materials were available to hand, given that for much of the year we were locked into a 5km radius from home, without access to new supplies, I began a re-imagining of these materials in a series of ritual guerrilla style public provocations and performances.