Two studies: working in public

Two Studies: Working in Public is comprised of release of an artist book and the presentation of several large-scale projections created from original recombinant video. Developed around research into generosity, maintenance, urbanism, and novel practices, this ambitious investigation of Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ Manifesto for Maintenance Art includes a generative video system; which sorts through source footage of the artist repairing public benches and playgrounds. The artwork also includes a self-published art book, showcasing the creation of new public benches in semi-scenic locations and temporary swing sets suspended from billboards around Vancouver. These works serve as exploration of experimental behaviour inside the urban environment, and interdisciplinary approaches to documenting these findings wavering between the ridiculous and the critical, attempting to both reconcile and taunt the way in which generosity plays a role in the practice of working in public. The release of the artist book "If It’s Still There When You Go Looking" coincided with the one-night-only outdoor screenings in an exhibition at Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus.