Turbid Sweep

Excerpt documentation of performance Turbid Sweep and Video Turbidocene 2023 Dur 3.13 produced by Daniel Press.

Turbid Sweep was performed at the opening night of the exhibition, Materiality DrawSpace , Sydney (2023). Two protagonists weaved through the audience wearing boiler suits with myself holding a white broom sweeping up floor-based motifs drawn in calcium carbonate and water and inspired by the wave-like structure of stromatolites. Stromatolites, formations in aquatic environments consisting of sediment and microbial mats, serve as a source of inspiration for Coss's exploration of ‘stratigraphic thinking.’

These drawings left behind a delicate powder that was swept across the floor and collected at the rear of the gallery. The debris on the floor, including food items and dust were swept up, intermixed with the calcium carbonate, the material of stromatolite structures, and stored in a lab jar. This was placed on a shelf with the broom nearby for the duration of the exhibition as a remnant of the performance . The post-performative video work Turbidocene 2023 was projected above. The process of sweeping amongst the audience allows me to delve into the interconnectedness between human and other-than-human elements. By examining the assemblages of geological, moral, and political perspectives, ‘stratigraphic thinking’ speaks to the ways human agency is shaped by situated knowledge.

The performance challenged and transcended the conventional nature/culture divide, to present the possibility of the interconnections between humans and their environment.

Scientific diagrams OF Stromatolite formations sourced from Geological Survey of Western Australia: Bulletin 147, K. Grey and S.M. Awramik, were transcribed painting with calcium carbonate and water on the concrete gallery floor.

Lab Jar containing remains of the sweep . Calcium Carbonate , salt and dust particles.

installation , Turbid Sweep , DrawSpace 2023 Video Projection, shelf, broom and Lab Jar.

installation , Turbid Sweep , DrawSpace 2023

Scientific diagrams OF Stromatolite formations sourced from Geological Survey of Western Australia: Bulletin 147, K. Grey and S.M. Awramik, were transcribed painting with calcium carbonate and water on the concrete gallery floor.

Documentation of performance, Turbid Sweep and video Turbidocene , Materiality at Drawspace Sydney.