Revolting Youth 2021

We created a sculpture that is basically a plane wing made vertical. Unlike the aerodynamic verticality of a Brancusi, this wing is more akin to a stand-alone section of the Berlin wall: it is more like a wall than a bridge. Spray-painted in garish colours, this sculpture is also a gesture of reclamation.
The vertical wing represents the sense of stasis felt during this era. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, social interaction was limited to the confines of the internet. Local kids were invited to spray paint the
surface of this wing. Carried out at the end of the second lockdown in Sydney, this devious action can be seen as a small break out from the uncertain era that they had just experienced.
The effects of the pandemic have been particularly felt by our youth. Not only have they been estranged from their peers at the most socially engaged part of their lives, they are also the generation that must repay the massive debt that has been incurred to keep our country afloat during the first two lockdowns.
Our aim was to give the children of our neighbourhood a voice via spray painting the wing surface; directly serving as a reminder of the pandemic.
Complete with a functioning QR code (the unofficial symbol of the pandemic era) that links to a video of the painting process, spray painting upon the airplane wing was a reclamation of agency in contrast to the
uncertainty that the future holds for these kids.

Beechcraft Duchess BE76 wing, wood, spray paint, spray paint cannisters, paper, and other event materials.
550 x 150 x 360 cm

Special thanks to: Alethia Cooper, Arrow Cooper, Astrid Healy, Elke Skinner, Elliot Enerberg, Flynn Kirchner, Hamish Skinner, Hazel McNamara, Jonah Cordeiro, Lily Marr, Mae Kirchner, Matilda Bhattarai, Mia Clarke, Noah Marr, Ruby Bhattarai, Tamara Clarke and Tyre Kirchner.