Bunker Essentials
Globally we are witnessing the extinction of our world, and yet we continue to fuel our demise, so how do we notice our involvement, disrupt the stasis and rewrite the rules?
Across several venues ‘Bunker Essentials’, mixed media concrete installations, explore notions of revolution in ‘The Bunker Age’ of entombment and nostalgia.
Nexus virtual gallery video documentation shot and edit by Aaron Schuppan, music courtesy of Nexus Arts - artist: Tagore (feat. The Three Seas), by voiceROM, from the album Nexus Album: https://voicerom.bandcamp.com/album/nexus-album
The Sound of Annihilation, Nexus Arts Nov 2020. Photo Aaron Schuppan.
The Sound of Annihilation
Listen to an inaudible sound installation of canned rage: The Sound of Annihilation stacks wistfully labelled food cans full of silent memories hoarding our nostalgia and suppressed desires. In its whimsy, it challenges us to consider what we lose when we let the bullies take over.
Conserve your memories, your suppressed rage and surrendered futures, before it’s too late, then label and order your soon-to-be-lost freedoms to curate a joyful user experience.
How do we disrupt the threats of physical, mental and structural violence?
Artists: Jen Lyons-Reid, Carl Kuddell
The Sound of Annihilation, Coral St Artspace, Oct 2020. Photo Johanis Lyons-Reid.
F.A.D. at Nexus Arts Nov 2020. Photo Aaron Schuppan.
FAD (Fully Assured Destruction)
FAD, 2020, forms a mighty Shrine to Brutality, the ultimate Bunker Essential. In times of escalating crises, who wouldn’t want a handful of grenades and rocket launchers handy for self-protection… The future is here, be prepared for war and stay safe.
How do we use our rage to de-power systemic violence?
Artists: Jen Lyons-Reid, Carl Kuddell, Felix Weber
F.A.D. at Nexus Arts Nov 2020. Photo Aaron Schuppan.
Bunker Rulz 5: Threaten anger. Fascism feeds on our desire to have control. The Colony offers protection by wielding the ultimate power of the bully – violence and war.
Daily we witness the brutal and insidious force of the bully, patriarchal power that cannot tolerate any challenges, no talk back, soft, assertive, aggressive or otherwise.
We are warned anger, rage, outrage are aggressive emotions that we must suppress, at the expense of our autonomy, our rights, our liberties.
It is a classic double-bind, a sublime con: With the threat of violence comes the slippery offer of protection, straight from the racketeer’s tool kit, Daddy knows best, leave it to the more powerful, we will come to collect later - never mention it, not a word. Silence is violence.
F.A.D. at Nexus Arts Nov 2020. Photo Aaron Schuppan.
And ultimately, the fascist’s desire to control everything, using threats of glorious annihilation, endless, purifying, profitable war that will unite us under a strong leader. So we bottle up our anger, can our rage and endure safely confected anonymous outrage. For how long? What are we afraid of?
Who benefits from suppressed rage?
Why do we fear vulnerability? How can we acknowledge our anger without being controlled and consumed by it? How do we use threats of violence in our daily lives to get what we want? What brutality do we outsource to keep our privilege? How do we challenge our ability to destroy everything? How do we redirect our rage to create change?
Can we use art to disrupt the threats of physical, mental and structural violence?
The Sound of Annihilation can design. Artwork Change Media
Provocateurs corner: We conceived of The Sound of Annihilation as a musical score of the atom bomb formula, performed by an orchestra of household items, pipes, chip bags, bottles, car keys, nostalgic moments and canned feelings. Canned grief of burned, wasted lives. A reminder that we can destroy it all when we avoid solidarity, which in turn allows fascism to claim respectable spaces in our societies. Anger is essential for liberation. May be art does save lives after all….
Send us your nostalgic moments, sounds and memories to be canned for future use: Click here: contact.
The Sound of Annihilation at Nexus Arts Nov 2020. Photo Aaron Schuppan.
Creative concept, development and curators: Jen Lyons-Reid & Carl Kuddell
Sculptures, text, design and installation: Jen Lyons-Reid & Carl Kuddell, Felix Weber
Provocations, text and cartoons: Jen Lyons-Reid & Carl Kuddell
Poetry: Poets tba
Photos: Change Media, Aaron Schuppan, Sam Roberts, Johanis Lyons-Reid
Venues: Nexus Arts, Nov 12 - Dec 11. You can find some of the Bunker Essentials at Coral St Artspace Victor Harbor.
Bunker Essentials at Fabrik Arts Lobethal, Nov 2020. Photo Sam Roberts.
