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.

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. This enactment of Push and Pull is co-ordinated by Nick Keys, Astrid Lorange, and Lucas Ihlein, with many guest artists participating. 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 Lucas Ihlein – lucas@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: at 6pm, there will be an info-tainment session introducing 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: nick[at]pushandpull.com.au ]