Ready to Hand,
Maintenance Performance,
Woodford Academy, Residency, 2017

Knezevic cleans, gardens and executes everyday labour for her performance Ready to hand, at Woodford Academy. The echoes are of the stories and lives that have passed, but aren’t concrete in the archive. Remembering the repetitive domesticity is highlighted through the space, and its history of maintenance throughout its time as an inn and a place of education.

Wearing her grandfather’s clothes, she imparts her own autobiography. Her grandfather, an immigrant to Australia, was a farmer in his homeland and maintained their family home: everything outdoors was his thing, taking care of the garbage, making sure the house was secure, and growing vegetables in the garden.

Many people have passed through Woodford Academy. This work wishes to acknowledge those stories, in particular the hard work of the women who worked to survive and to provide a warm, nourishing space.

Performing acts of cleaning, Maintenance Performance, Woodford Academy, 2017. Images by Anthony Gattari.