Book Description

Publication compiling work by artists Lucas Ihlein and Kim Williams, and collaborators, for the 2020 NIRIN Biennale of Sydney. In 2019, we (Kim Williams and Lucas Ihlein) were invited to take part in the NIRIN 2020 Biennale of Sydney. Artistic director Brook Andrew commissioned us to create a project focused on plastic. Andrew's vision involved artists involved at every level of the festival - from publication design, to food, education, and even transport infrastructure - and with our project, an intervention into the Biennale's environmental impact.Our project emerged slowly, over a few years, beginning well before the start of the public exhibition, and continuing throughout the live time of the festival (and beyond). One of the main aspects of the project was a "consultancy" with the Biennale organisation. In the spirit of Barbara Stevini and John Latham's "Artist Placement Group" from the 1970s, the model of artists-as-consultants pushed us into thinking of our role beyond the standard production of content for an exhibition. Rather, we took on the challenge of trying to re-design what a biennale (and what this biennale) could be, both behind the scenes and in the public eye.This publication compiles diverse elements from the project: offset lithographic printmaking, installation art, collaborations with artists including The Sisters of Perpetual Plastix, MC Nannarchy and Rox de Luca, and the creation of a music video with kids. The project was funded by Australia Council for the Arts, Biennale of Sydney, and Detached Cultural Organisation.