In the June phase of Biennial Lab 2016, 14 selected artists explored bold, creative ideas in an aesthetically and intellectually rigorous situation, at our Queen Victoria Market site. Over an intense two-week period, they developed concepts in a laboratory environment under the mentorship of international public art experts. The Lab was co-convened by international affiliate Claire Doherty (Director, Situations) and Professor David Cross (One Day Sculpture/Iteration: Again/Head of Art and Performance, Deakin University).
Public presentation of the artworks took place during the Melbourne Festival from 17 to 23 October 2016. Daily guided tours took visitors through the artworks at various locations in the market. The Biennial Lab culminated in a final day of artist-led workshops, talks, walking tours, performances and a closing event on Sunday 23 October 2016.
From elaborate and evocative installations to ethereal moments of human connection and release, this suite of temporary new works reinterpreted the market; probing its Indigenous, mercantile, migratory and colonial past, sharing its secrets and celebrating its stories.
Read more on the Biennial Lab website.