Thinking inside the square

Nick Moloney (pictured) spent hours last month thinking inside the square to help out his artist mate Emily Castle.

Emily was one of many young artists taking advantage of Rising: The Victoria Harbour Young Artist Initiative which returned to Docklands for the fifth year in a row in May.

And while Nick and others attempted to spend as much time as possible inside the marked-out-square on Victoria Harbour Promenade, it was left to Emily to explain the art-piece she called “to occupy”.

She said she was interested in public space and believed that public space in Docklands was not occupied in the same way as some other spaces, such as the lawn outside the State Library in Swanston St where people typically behaved as if they had more licence.

“It seems too corporate and commercial in Docklands,” she said.  “There are only people around at lunchtimes and, even then, they seem to perch on the edge of the space rather than really occupy it.”

She said she believed that in corporate Docklands, time equated with money.

“Spending time doing nothing is a potent gesture,” she said.

Rising is a public exhibition of artworks by Victorian College of the Arts students studying sculpture and spatial practice.

While not claiming that her installation was necessarily a success, Ms Castle said the project had been “interesting” and “rewarding”.

And while she may have saved on materials for the piece, she certainly owes a lot a friends a lot of favours.

Nick Maloney was in his second two-hour shift when Docklands News caught up with him.

He said most passers-by were mostly accepting of the concept, but some had expressed annoyance.

“When you see people doing something out of the ordinary, at least you have to consider it,” he said.

Nick said he found his time within the square relaxing and meditative.  Readers will notice from the photo that he was also fortunate enough to be rostered on during the best of Docklands’ May weather.