Join artist Ben Morieson for a screening and Q&A of his work, Fieldwork 3 — Los Colonias Notes, developed for the Habana Bienale in Cuba in 2019.

The first part of the artwork presented was an installation/performance work called Fieldwork II — The Colonies. This consisted of 70 shopping trolleys planted out with blooming sunflowers. The trolleys were placed alongside the Upfiled train line in seemingly random places. The public were invited to adopt the trolleys and take them to another place of their choosing. The idea was to create some friction between public and private spaces. The ‘abandoned’ shopping trolley is transformed into a transportable place of comfort and beauty.

In Cuba the second part of the Intercambio project became slightly unhinged by the lack of shopping trolleys. The approach changed and it was decided instead to make the interaction between the community and the ‘transportable’ gardens, a narrative plot that could be filmed and presented as a story. This part of the project was made solely in Cuba with local technicians and the community of Old Habana.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
As an artist over the last 30 years, Ben Morieson has worked with visual mediums including sculpture, installation and film.

Ben’s art to date has included an array of presentations in different spaces including within the gallery, on site, and on the internet. His work can be described as ephemeral and occasionally permanent with the biggest body of work to date deliberately engaging the public in the urban landscape. It seeks to alter common perceptions and challenge the staus quo.

Ben has been the recipient of grants including the Australia Council Media Arts fund, Victoria Arts Projects fund, Victoria Arts Touring Fund and Cinemedia Digital Media Fund ( Film Victoria ). He has also had residencies including Australia Council Studio in Barcelona, Asialink residency in Echigo Tsumari Triennial, Japan.

In 2013 Ben completed a Masters in Public Art and his thesis concentrated on public space in the landscape. It resulted in a large scale project called Fieldwork set on a two hectare site in North Melbourne.

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Image: Fieldwork 3, Film Still, 2019