Liquid architecture, West space and bus projects are disorganising
Abstract
“Liquid Architecture, West Space and Bus Projects are disorganising.” So began a public statement, first
circulated in November 2020, co-signed by the three organisations in question. It went on: “This
methodology is not a pathway to merger, but an experimental exercise in cooperative practice beyond
previous models of partnership, grounded in principles of solidarity and interdependence.” In this
polyvocal essay, Channon Goodwin, Joel Stern, and Amelia Wallin — former Artistic Directors of Bus
Projects, Liquid Architecture, and West Space — offer accounts of disorganising, which was staged
throughout 2020 and 2021 at the organisations’ shared base of Collingwood Yards in
Naarm/Melbourne. By contextualising, sharing and reflecting on disorganising, we explore how artist-
led forms of encounter and exchange can engage publics by challenging hegemonies, critiquing power,
and engaging publics in civil dialogue. While making these claims, the essay also acknowledges the
limits to achieving change under conditions governed by funding bodies, the demands of
‘professionalisation’ in the sector, and other infrastructures that curtail the radicality of our programs.
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