We hold you close
"We hold you close is a song, a yarn, and an immersive exhibition. We, artist Katie West and curator Eloise Sweetman, see this exhibition as an assembly of matter, material, and human bodies. At its core, the exhibition explores relational materiality (the agency of material and its influence on the maker) while celebrating embodied knowledge (the body knows how to act). West’s interest in embodied knowledge has led her to think about singing and, by extension, artmaking. Both these acts hold memories even as our minds age and ensure knowledge is shared across generations. We titled the exhibition We hold you close, to acknowledge and call to the continuous line of connection to those who have passed, those who are present, and those who will come. It is a song for material intimacy."
Excerpt from the essay We hold you close: a song for material intimacy by Katie West and Eloise Sweetman.
Production Credits
Composer: Simon Charles
Musicians: Djuna Lee and Jameson Feakes
Field Recordist: Josten Myburgh
Special thanks to friends and family who participated in the textile dyeing workshop over a weekend in 2021 on Nyoongar Ballardong Boodja, York, WA. Their efforts helped to create the large cushion covers.
We hold you close
20 Feb - 24 April 2022
Perth Festival 2022 & Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA), Perth, WA
Images: Bo Wong