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Tim Burns

Kandos Carapace | 2017

2. Tim Burns, Kandos Carapace photo Gus Armstrong 2017
2. Tim Burns, Kandos Carapace photo Gus Armstrong 2017

bio:

Tim Burns is a legendary figure in the history of Australian art. He rose to notoriety in the early 1970s with a series of (literally) explosive art actions, before decamping to New York, where he remained, on and off, until the mid-1990s. He now resides on a property near York, Western Australia. Rather than identifying as a painter, filmmaker, karaoke videographer, installation artist, theatre director or performer (he has done all these and more), Burns calls himself ‘a context artist’. What unites this hugely varied set of projects is his desire to critique our hypermediated, industrialised western society. From Lucas Ihlein, February 2011, for Artists Profile magazine, Sydney.

"Kandos Carapace" 2017

An escape journey from Australia to New York for a bike messenger delivery between the World Trade Centre and Empire State Building.

statement:

Kandos and bust: A journey from the central wheatbelt of Western Australia where the main agriculture is grains, canola, hay and sheep on a broadacre basis, to Kandos New South Wales in the ex-cement belt. Recording from a suspect [i.e. it’s re-shaped] Home Carapace Toyota camper covered in aluminum [tin] foil, a silver nomad, a sculptural definition of an interactive environment, tagged by the journey itself. Will it actually make it? Will we be arrested for driving an artwork? This is a desperate attempt to continue the good work done by artists in regards to gentrification with the added possibility of rapid response to the speed of the revolution in country communities as unsustainable fossilised industries are replaced with art or sustainable means of survival even when it’s a spare parking space and a community garden with a worm farm … there may even be some late-night movies.

Materials | Digitised film.
Location | Bruce’s Nursery
1. Tim Burns, Kandos Carapace photo Gus Armstrong 2017
1. Tim Burns, Kandos Carapace photo Gus Armstrong 2017