Dystopias for discourse: the role of the artist in a rapidly reconfiguring city

Abstract

This paper grew out of a collaborative research project with Knox City Council, a local authority located on the eastern fringe of Melbourne (Australia) around 35 kilometres from the city centre. It articulates the role site-responsive artworks can play in interrogating the individual impact of climate change and new and old technologies on specific communities by exploring the development and reception of Section 32, an immersive performance installation that converted an ordinary suburban home into a speculative vision of the Australian suburbs, somewhere at the end of the 21st century. Located in an area undergoing rapid population increase, and therefore reconstruction, where residents had little opportunity to engage in a discourse about the planning process, Section 32 became a critical platform for discussion, revealing a public sentiment that was at odds with what local government was seeing in the local press.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Immersive speculative futures can open up constructive opportunities for community dialogue about urban futures.</li><br /><li>Site-responsive artworks, installed outside the gallery, can open up new place-based discussions by attracting diverse audiences.</li></ul>