the black mirror, the basement, the hunter, the studio

Research Backgound: It is difficult to represent solely in pictures the fraught and emotionally nuanced sense of belonging experienced by the migrant. This research proposed a new way of evoking this complex state via a multi format art installation. The research draws on Haddon’s own experience of migration to Tasmania and is a composite interweaving of feelings of belonging, difference, shared versus private history and dislocation felt towards both the place of migration and the place of origin. Research Contribution: The art installation consisted of a series of short video clips, an audio soundtrack, a variety of sculptures and assemblages and several paintings. These were located in the gallery space which had been totally reconfigured by employing fabric covered walls, black carpet and a large wall-sized black mirror. The content of each component of this installation drew on disparate contexts and experiences, seeking to draw these together within the exhibition space in a way that confounded their association with the particulars of known places. The resulting unique space of the installation evoked the ambiguous emotional space of belonging experienced by the migrant. Research Significance: The significance of this research rests in the deliberately complex, multi-faceted experience offered to the viewer. This multi sensory, disorienting encounter effectively promoted the difficulty of ‘making sense’ of new environments. It did this without relying on traditional modes of representation. The oblique content of the various components of the installation hinted at both personal experience and larger, societal feelings of community. This installation (as a whole) wove these diverse parts together using repeating visual and auditory motifs. The project received an Australian Artist Grant, National Association of Visual Artists ($500).