The Patch was an interactive art installation first deployed at ‘Coalesce’ - a micro festival at The Bakery, Northbridge which featured other artists, such as Tomas Ford doing a 7-hour ‘Cabaret of Death’ poetry marathon and Pilar Matt Dupont & Tarryn Gill with their ‘Heart of Gold’ Project.
Coalesce
Date: Sat 24th Jul, 2004
Venue: Bakery Artrage Complex
Artrage and The Tall Concrete Collective present: A night of cross-pollination multi space adhesion.
The installation consisted of 25m² of lawn raised up on a small stage which was surrounded by earth/dirt to give that ‘freshly-cut-out-of-the-ground’ look. The neatly manicured lawn was enclosed by chrome poles and red rope, which lent the space the desired look of exclusivity. In the centre we installed a ‘truth window’ to convince patrons that this was the real thing.
Leading up to the entrance of ‘The Patch’ was a 10 metre long red carpet (borrowed from Cinema City RIP) and we had our own security, in the form of a bouncer, to control access to the lawn (Thanks Zach/Sam) who checked stamps and maintained harmony.
Before they were allowed to enjoy the roped-off area, the public first had to complete a worksheet and deposit it in the box. Once they had done this, they received a stamp and could enter the grassed zone, after removing their footwear of course. The entire process was our way of poking at the overwhelming bureaucracy we have to face in our daily lives.
Visit the Worksheet results for The Patch 01
As well as being a cheeky sentiment about regulations and exclusivity, The Patch also became a performance space. There was a timetable of events defining opening and closing times. Some of the performances we had on offer involved golfers, an ironing housewife and some quiet reading time.
Special thanks go to Filip Bardy for taking these photos long before we had digital cameras
The Patch II
We were asked to install The Patch in the Midland Railway Yards as part of Artrage’s huge festival event, Crossfire. It was an interesting contrast to our previous install as The Patch was previously built for the Bakery space. The Railway yards were massive in comparison and our installation looked tiny.
We were added to a series of collector’s cards used for the promotional material. Here is the text that was on the reverse of the card:
Imagine finding a place. A place where the journey leads you to consider your environment and the neverending surge of beaurocracy. Imagine that place, being under your feet. The internal space is befriended by a visitor from the outside. Simulating a process we are all accustomed to, ‘The Patch’ is a toe-tickling experience with farcical red tape and a new but familiar perspective. The Patch first bloomed mid 2004. Next came a few relenting invites and no sponsorship deals.
Visit the Worksheet results for The Patch 02
Bump In Time Lapse
Bump Out (In) Time Lapse
Ironing Maid
So what do you do with this much lawn when the show is over? You place it in phone boxes of course! This enabled us to carry on the idea in the street much to everyone’s delight!
