245 |aObliterate I

2016

Video installation.

M16ArtSpace, Canberra

The beginning of an entire book systematically obliterated by hand is the subject of video 245 |aObliterate I. Whilst working inside a library, it was evident that many people were experiencing anxiety and distress at the disappearance of so many printed books from library shelves.

As partnerships between libraries and Google steadily digitise entire print collections, this series was made to respond to these concerns. Exploring emotional responses towards the devaluing of the book format in a material sense, - or the implications of an indifferent response.

Made in response to these concerns, the book featured in the video was one discovered after a cull by an academic library. Through the action of mark-making the entire text was obliterated as a means to explore my own reaction and the reaction of others.

037  |bJournal of Human Stress,
4000 Albemarle St., N.W., Washington, DC 20016,
Fall 1985, pp118-124.

Individual artworks, each a form of obliteration executed with steadfast deliberation, accompany the video in the exhibition.