Heathcote Select. 2016
concrete, bed frame, cast clip board, letterpress, dirt
Exhibited as part of Heathcote Select this installation draws attention to the dire circumstances of asylum seekers in Australia’s offshore detention centres, in particular for new mothers. Juxta-posed against the opulent grounds of Heathcote gallery, a former mental institution built in the 1920’s, which centred on the belief that environment could be a major healing force in itself. This installation is built around the story of a single asylum seeker who was forced to give birth on a bed without a mattress in a hospital without necessities such as soap. The room the installation is housed in was one of the hospitals first-response care rooms, a space made available when people first needed it. A gesture not currently emulated by the Australian government.
The text on the clipboard reads:
Client expressed concerns over his child’s birth stating ”I saw my wife lying on the bed, the bed didn’t have a mattress. My wife was crying. I saw the nurse, an Australian nurse, playing on her tablet. I said please do something for my wife. This is like a jail not a delivery room!”