Commissioned by the University of Queensland, Courting Blakness: Recalibrating Knowledge in the Sandstone University, was curated by artist and Adjunct Professor Fiona Foley, and was one of the year’s most important arts and education projects. Opened by The Hon. Linda Jean Burney, MP, on 5 September 2014, this ground – breaking exhibition brought together works by Michael Cook, Christian Thompson, Karla Dickens, Megan Cope, Natalie Harkin, r e a, Ryan Presley and Archie Moore. This ambitious project was overseen and managed by Dr Fiona Nicoll, and it also involved a national symposium, research publications, and educational outreach programs.
We were contracted by the University of Queensland’s School of English, Media Studies and Art History, in partnership with the School of Political Science and International Studies, to assist the Schools to deliver the exhibition component of the project. The exhibition consisted of conceptually challenging sculptural installations and multimedia works located within the Great Court.
Deliberately intervening in the architecture, space and history, the multimedia works where projected directly onto the Forgan Smith sandstone walls. The interactivity of all the works led a transformative education and research platform, where dialogue occurred across social, political and cultural boundaries on a range of critical issues.