SYLVIA SCHWENK / ALONG WHITE LINES

 

 Sylvia Schwenk_Along White Lines III_ 2011

 Sylvia Schwenk_Along White Lines I_ 2011

Artereal Artist Sylvia Schwenk will be exhibiting her recent body of work Along white lines at Dianne Tanzer Gallery + Projects, Melbourne from 16 June to 21 July.

A book of the same title celebrating the project will be launched at the opening. The book includes an essay by Andrew Frost.

Along white lines by Sylvia Schwenk is a project that joins art with sport and community. This work was performed during half time at the NTFA Grand Final at Aurora Football Stadium, Launceston, Australia in September 2011. 

During the performance over 400 spectators, around 15% of the audience at the football event spontaneously participated in this work of performance art, completely covering the lines marking the centre square of the AFL football field. At the start of the performance when people dressed in white overalls jogged onto the field in a single file and started to become the white lines on the ground, the goalposts, the goal square and boundary line, the spectators were somewhat unsure of the work. Some of the audience joined in, but many more watched. 

There were even moments when some of the children on the field tried to kick balls at the performers. Then when the performers moved to become the 50 metre line and the boundary line, many more spectators joined in. The work culminated in the last movement, which saw a transformation – spectators embraced the work lying Along white lines completely covering the lines of the centre square. 

The performance Along white lines is re-presented as a single channel video with sound, a series of photographs, and an artist book which includes an essay by art critic and television broadcaster Andrew Frost.

Sylvia Schwenk will also be exhibiting in the Artereal Gallery Project Space from 4-28 July, 2012.