Soapbox: Raposo Knight
Soapbox :: Raposo Knight
13 September – 26 October 2014
24:7 Window
Soapbox is a mixed-media installation consisting of objects, experimental sound and video components. The work is the product of Raposo Knight: a collaboration between Murwillumbah-based artists Cecile Knight and Belinda Raposo, whose work often combines lyrical objects with text. Evoking present-day protests over immigration detention in Australia, the work is also inspired by political speeches from Australia’s past, in particular the notorious immigration dictation test that was employed in the early-1900s, now considered to symbolize the onset of the White Australia Policy. In response to this issue of immigration, the artists have used wooden crates to act as improvised speech platforms, accompanied by hand-made ceramic megaphones in which jumbled voices and sampled monologues can be heard. While recalling Australia’s political past, Soapbox is ultimately a reflection on our current political climate, encouraging us to question how we got here and where we are going.
This exhibition is an initiative of the SCU Curatorial Lab
About the SCU Curatorial Lab
The SCU Curatorial Lab provides a forum for students from Southern Cross University to conceive, organise and participate in the production of exhibitions, events, lectures and critical publications. Overseen by Dr. Wes Hill – course coordinator of the Creative Arts degree – the SCU Curatorial Lab facilitates hands-on learning about the key aspects of curating, underlining the importance of self-initiated projects, historical research, cross-disciplinary practice, and collaboration with industry professionals and local institutional partners. Enquiries: wes.hill@scu.edu.au