Restless
Nick James Archer
07 Apr 21
Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre
Image: Pillow sculpture made out of lithium carbonate by Nick James Archer Pillow sculpture made out of lithium carbonate by Nick James Archer
Image: Nick James Archer, Pillow, 2020, copper and lithium.
There are places in which the body finds rest, yet these places also play host to periods of immense unrest. A pillow can be a place of calm, yet also a place of isolation, torment and sleepless nights. A chair can be a place that slows the body down to assist contemplation, or a place of incoherent thought.
The energy from psychosis and mania conditions the body and actively leaves traces upon its places of rest. Reflecting on the history of psychiatrist Dr John Cade’s work at Bundoora Homestead, this exhibition explores how Lithium carbonate acts as an agent for both body and place to feel at rest.
Restless is accompanied by a commissioned text by researcher and artist Violet Aisling MacDonald.
There are places in which the body finds rest, yet these places also play host to periods of immense unrest. A pillow can be a place of calm, yet also a place of isolation, torment and sleepless nights. A chair can be a place that slows the body down to assist contemplation, or a place of incoherent thought.
The energy from psychosis and mania conditions the body and actively leaves traces upon its places of rest. Reflecting on the history of psychiatrist Dr John Cade’s work at Bundoora Homestead, this exhibition explores how Lithium carbonate acts as an agent for both body and place to feel at rest.
Restless is accompanied by a commissioned text by researcher and artist Violet Aisling MacDonald.