sound designer, performer, costume maker
HIGH VIS DANDY (2010) was a durational performance installation spanning five working days of the 2010 Next Wave Festival. Set up on the 'Paris' end of Collins Street, Melbourne, the installation resembled a construction site featuring a ute, heavy-duty traffic barriers, variable message sign, and rubbish skip. But upon closer inspection, the site was populated by 'haute-couture tradies', wearing exquisitely fashionable high-vis workwear and 'constructing' garments on an industrial sewing machine.
Inspired by the artists' own experiences in a culture where bullying and stigmatisation actively discourage men from learning sewing skills (or even taking an interest in fashion), HIGH VIS DANDY urged us to reconsider our assumptions about what it means to 'be a man'.
Matthew Kneale: Project director, performer
Daniel Koerner: Director, performer
Jess Daly: Costume designer, performer
Photo by Sara Savage.
This project was supported by Next Wave and the City of Melbourne through their Arts Grants Program.