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By: Isabel Dunstan
Date: 14th Aug 08
Medium: Mixed
Drink: Herbal tea
What:
Room to Live Again
Where:
Bus Gallery, 117 Little Lonsdale S, Melbourne
When:
Exhibition runs until Sat Aug 30
How much:
Free
A couch, sleeping bag, lamp, guitar, laptop and a hermit crab tank. These are Ian Wadley's belongings furnishing Bus Gallery's tiniest nook. After a three-year world trip, Ian will be living in the gallery for the next three weeks. He isn't just installing his personal life into the space, however. He's exhibiting photographs captured on the road: images of wind turbines and dimly lit bedrooms taken from Berlin to Arizona and places in between.
The best thing about Ian's exhibit is his presence. Sometimes artists hang about their own launches, sheepishly answering questions about their work. But Ian is there, on the couch, tapping away at his laptop. He even welcomes you into his space like you're visiting him at home. There's nothing stagnant about the room either. The former Bird Blobs member is orchestrating and improvising right before your ears. His ‘residency' isn't just a comment on belonging without ever having a home in particular - Ian unabashedly reveals how to literally survive off your art.