Anyone can find or make one or more rooms of any shape, size, proportion, and color — then furnish them perhaps, maybe paint some things or everything. Everyone else can come in and, if the room(s) are furnished, they also can arrange them, accommodating themselves as they see fit. Each day things will change.

Push and Pull Redfern: What, When, How?

Posted: May 6th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: info, publicity | No Comments »

Here’s some basic info about the upcoming enactment of Allan Kaprow’s Push and Pull in Sydney. More details soon. If you’d like to be involved, please email nick[at]pushandpull.com.au

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What is Push and Pull?
“Push and Pull: A Furniture Comedy for Hans Hofmann ” (1963) is a participatory installation in which visitors arrange and re-arrange domestic objects and junk. The work was originally conceived as a parody of Allan Kaprow’s painting teacher, Hans Hoffman, who often used the phrase “push and pull” to describe the dynamics involved in two dimensional composition. Kaprow expanded Hoffman’s concept of compositional strategy, moving it beyond the canvas and into social space.

Participants in “Push and Pull” plan and implement alterations to the gallery space, co-operating or competing with each other in an ever-evolving furniture dance. “Push and Pull” is a microcosm of the tensions involved in all spatial negotiations in urban environments.

We are excited to present this piece, for the first time ever in Australia, thanks to Allan Kaprow’s Estate.

Who are we?
We are a bunch of Allan Kaprow fans and enthusiasts in Sydney. Keg De Souza and Zanny Begg, directors of There Goes the Neighbourhood, decided to place Push and Pull in this context, including getting permission from the the Kaprow estate. They then invited Lucas Ihlein to co-ordinate the show, and having accepted despite the overlap between a the show and the deadline for his PhD, Lucas then called in Nick Keys and Astrid L’Orange to help. The effort and energy surrounding this project, from Zanny and Keg firstly, and then the rest of the people involved, is very exciting.

If you would like to take an active part in making it happen, or have any ideas or suggestions about how we should do it, please contact Nick Keys – nick[at]pushandpull.com.au or Lucas Ihlein – lucas[at]lucazoid.com

Push and Pull is presented as part of There Goes the Neighbourhood, an exhibition and publication project based at The Performance Space.

Details of our enactment of Push and Pull:

Venue:
Locksmith Project Space
6 Botany Road
Alexandria/Redfern
Sydney, Australia

Project Dates:
May 28-June 13, Thurs-Sat 1-6pm

Information Session: Thurs May 28, 6pm at Locksmith Project Space

Push and Pull will be open the following hours:

Thursday May 28, 1-6pm [at 6pm, there will be an info session on the project]
Friday May 29, 1-6pm
Sat May 30, 1-6pm

Thursday June 4, 1-6pm
Friday June 5, 1-6pm
Sat June 6, 1-6pm

Thursday June 11, 1-6pm. [at 6pm, Locksmith publication launches in the space]
Friday June 12, 1-6pm
Sat June 13, 1-6pm

[other times by appointment – contact Nick to arrange access…]

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