Loose Footings

James Carey’s practice research explores the intersections of labour, environmental, cultural, reconciliation, and political systems within the built environment. ‘Loose Footings’ was chosen to be part of the group exhibition After Ruins, curated by Krisna Sudharma and held at Nonfrasa Gallery, Indonesia. The exhibition questioned our efforts to grapple with memory, inviting us to reconstruct our collective pasts as monuments of shared experiences. ‘Loose Footings’ was a collaborative (Jen Berean, Monash) creative work exploring cultural and temporal traditions in a contemporary context. ‘Loose Footings’ is a sculptural response to Ubud’s temporary, and often adhoc, street bollard infrastructure. Bollards globally are an urban tool used to define specific boundaries and thresholds that separate pedestrians, and vehicles, from moving from one space to another. ‘Loose Footings’ becomes part of the existing urban fabric of its surroundings, quietly operating as both public sculpture and practical infrastructural tools. The After Ruins exhibition explored potentials of artistic practice contributing to theoretical frameworks of memory and shared experience. Nonfrasa Gallery is now a leading contemporary art gallery in Indonesia, and Krisna Sudharma is an internationally recognised curator. The exhibition involved artists from Indonesia and Australia, creating a cross-cultural dialogue on memory through creative practice.