Public Private Habits (2010-11)

Public Private Habits was developed in collaboration with artist Shao Xiong Chia it is a project exploring the migration of cultural habits and their appropriateness in the cultural context of another urban location. It began as an exploration of the act of sleeping in public spaces. Initially sleeping was captured in public spaces through video and photographic work as part of a residency in Sile, Istanbul, Turkey. In Melbourne; as an expansion of our work in Turkey we also explored the cultural symbolism of the environment we chose to sleep in and some other culturally specific habits such as squatting in public places and wearing clothes that are only appropriate at home such as slippers. The project challenges the idea of appropriate behaviour in public spaces and notions of displaced cultural habits occurring through migration. This work was exhibited in Dokumak - an exhibition of art in public spaces in Sile, Istanbul, Turkey and at the Museum of Chinese Australian History, Melb, Vic, as part of the Gateway: Melbourne, 2011 exhibition.