Emily Simek, Joy Zhou
16.8MB 1080p single channel video, 15:20 min, 2024
MARS Gallery
Wurundjeri Land
Naarm/Melbourne
co-worm-ing is a video poem that is an outcome of digital composting. Utilising audiovisual materials from a production of co-worm-ing for PHOTO2024 (Blindside ARI), the new work presented at MARS Gallery explores processes in remixing using video file compression and the breakdown of conversational texts. Similar to the way nutrients filter through and are collected from worm compost systems as a liquid fertilser, or ‘worm tea’, the video poem is a distillation of words from conversations that are subtitled in prior videos. This text is animated with low-res footage of the artist’s collaborative practice. The video file size and resolution are specified as material properties of the work, inviting audiences to contemplate on how these relate to perceived production value. Presented in high definition 1080p, the actual file size per minute is less than the storage capacity of a floppy disc.
co-worm-ing is an ongoing process-led collaborative practice, founded by Emily Simek, Joy Zhou, and a worm farm based in Naarm, that explores composting as a methodology of artistic collaboration.
Images:
1-2. co-worm-ing, 16.8MB 1080p single channel video, 15:20 min, 2024, MARS Gallery. Photography: Emily Simek.
3-6. co-worm-ing, video still, 2024.