Shapley’s pithy prose has been taken up by numerous media outlets, including the Sydney Morning Herald, Triple J national radio network, Mx News, The Glebe, Inner-west Weekly, Real Time arts magazine and many others. Examples of this work are below. If you would like to learn more please READ ON… Thur March 15 – Sat March 24, 2007
Paper Waltz
By Laura McLean and Andrew Newman
If ‘the first casualty of war is truth’ then is it also the case that this truth lies somewhere between the extremities; between right and wrong, good and bad, between being ‘with us’ or ‘against us’?
‘Paper Waltz’ explores the binaries that are foisted upon us in times of conflict; how we are forced to make decisions ‘one way or the other’. The middle ground is gone, swept away in the polarisation of fear and suspicion. The ‘sensible option’ becomes an uninhabitable ‘no man’s land’ and desperation seeps into all areas of life, including personal relationships.
The young boyfriend-girlfriend inhabitants of pre-war playgrounds are turned by the insecurity of the battlefield into husband-wife (the stark noir-ness of WWII movies echos these rushed consummations). This ‘war-time’ is accelerated and exaggerated; it is, by its very nature, sentimental. Reminiscences of these moments therefore become hyper-sentimentalised.
McLean and Newman portray this hyper-sentimentality with a series of black and white figures — cutouts that dance like clockwork, on clockwork. They move jerkily to the binary tick-tock of timepieces that count down their impending separation. But this dance never ends, because it never really began. It is a figment of our collective imaginations that is invented in times of dire consequence to humanise these experiences. These apparitions stick in our minds and in our throats, marking the only bearable moments in otherwise inconceivable circumstances.
SAMPLE MEDIA RESULTING FROM RELEASE:
The Glebe 22 March 2007, front page and page 22
Inner West Courier 20 March 2007, page 14
Dulwich Hill DayZZZe Thur July 5-14, 2007
By Matt Rochford
Matt Rochford (AKA ‘Rochy’ from ‘Nerds FC’) needs somewhere to live for a couple of weeks. I’ve offered him the gallery window. He will, of course, be furnishing it to his liking; installing his bed, TV, the odd pot plant or two and anything else he can fit into this very modest living area.
The downside to this arrangement is that he will be on constant display. He won’t be able to scratch his butt without the whole street seeing. Further, seeing he’s getting this space rent free, Matt will become my circus animal, my freak show. At least eight hours a day a commentator will provide thrilling updates on Matt’s every move. Every itch, every scratch will be analysed and replayed in slo-mo for the public’s edification.
I will also expect Matt to play to the camera and the transient audience. He will put on little performances to get the attention that he craves. He will try his best to communicate to the passing traffic with hand gestures and scribbled signs. Matt will also have houseguests. Come join the show, have a chat to Matt on his laissez-faire talk show. Have your 15 minutes of fame in Don’t Look’s front window.
Join us for Matt’s house warming on July 4. American Independence Day will mark the end of Matt’s independence for the next couple of weeks.
SAMPLE MEDIA RESULTING FROM RELEASE:
Sydney Morning Herald 5 July 2007, page 14
The Glebe 5 July 2007, page 5
Valley Times 5 July 2007, page 4