Caregiving: Making Meaning: Art as acts of care
The University of Technology Sydney, 2020

Exhibiting works, Invisible Agent, Maintenance Performance, 2015. Existing Momentum, Video Work, 2012. Enacting Dreams/Always Knitting, Video Work, 2018.

This edition of the work was performed on an examination bed in the public foyer of the University of Technology Sydney in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The performance explores the unspoken, profound interpersonal connections at the heart of care.

Participants are invited to sit on the examination bed. I remove their shoes and assist them in lying down. Moving to the other side of the bed, I hold their hand and adjust the bed to a comfortable height. Once elevated, I offer support in ways the participant consents to—sometimes holding their hand to their heart, sometimes embracing them for as long as needed. The exchange may take the form of meditation, conversation, or simply sharing energy. This work is not silent: I ask questions to understand each participant's needs, recognizing that care is a process of communication and mutual exchange.

This live artwork was part of a larger UTS digital art project—a collaboration between the UTS Centre for Carers Research and the UTS Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation, with funding from a Social Impact Grant awarded by the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion.

For more information: https://www.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/our-research/institute-public-policy-and-governance/about-institute/centre-for-carers-research/about-us/our-work/making-meaning-performance-art-social-impact/making-meaning-art-acts-care

Video of Performance and Event by Kuba Dorabialski.