street sweepers
anke kindle
5–22 Oct

Street sweepers is a jewellery project that pays homage to the machines, the people and the work of cleaning our city streets as well as the often unseen labour that goes in hand with this work.

Through jewellery objects that visually interpret and reframe the process of street sweeping the artist brings the mechanisms, machines and detailing of the street sweeping machines to the personal intimate realm of the body enabling the viewer and wearer to contemplate an otherwise unseen task.

Elements of the machines are re-interpreted in silver and gold– brooms are made wearable allowing a close up, detailed viewing experience of visual and mechanical aspects of the machines.

This allows for a close inspection and contemplation of tasks that often go unnoticed, unseen and unacknowledged. The work within the exhibition brings street sweeping into focus. Allowing for a re-framing of the task as an important, environmentally beneficial pursuit that provides care for the planet we inhabit and further care for each other– celebrating the small gestures we can all provide for a harmonious living together in our cities. The street sweeper is a celebration and testimony to this.

This exhibition is dedicated to the Weinitschke and Raleigh families without whose generous gift and support this exhibition would not have been possible.