Is This Thing On? Counihan Gallery In Brunswick, Opening Saturday 19 March 2016

Is This Thing On? STEPHEN BIRD | DANIELLE HAKIM | ANASTASIA KLOSE | ALICE LANG | JORDAN MARANI | JULIAN DI MARTINO | KATE MITCHELL | RONNIE VAN HOUT | LEON VAN DE GRAAFF | SHARON WEST at Counihan Gallery In Brunswick, Curated by Catherine Connolly and Victor Griss

Is This Thing On? runs from 18 March to 24 April in conjunction with Melbourne Comedy Festival.

I'm very excited and terrified to be making new, large and reasonably tech - heavy work for this exhibition. Terrified because I can only grab a few 2-3 hour slots of studio time per week between looking after toddler, baby, home, and consultations / install jobs. But it is coming together "on schedule" as far as I can tell for something I'm still making up as I go along.

The work consists of two robots in a nonsensical, mash-up dialogue with each other. In theory they will shake hands at one point, changing to a Napoleon Hill monologue about how to greet someone when you first meet them and then go back to their previous conversation.

I'll see if I can post some pics after I feed the baby, again. Do I have time to make a hands-free baby bottle holder or will that take more time than it saves...?

Well, clearly I did manage to maker the audio track and the handshake mechanism. I am very pleased with how it all turned out.

Below: Leon and YURI in situ at Counihan Gallery In Brunswick. All photos by the marvellous Janelle Low ©2016. Video © Leon van de Graaff 2016