09.09.09
Inkahoots | Gallery

Australians All Let Us Text






Inkahoots, "New Anthems" variations, 2009. Photos: Stefan Jannides

Pedestrians in Brisbane, Queensland, are invited to rewrite Australia's patriotic songs by sending text messages to an installation in the windows of the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts on Brunswick Street. Commissioned from the Australian design studio Inkahoots, "New Anthems" consists of illuminated typographic sculptures with temporary gaps left for others to fill in. The first installation, which was displayed from July 22 to August 20, quoted "Advance Australia Fair," the country's official anthem: "Australians all let us ____ for we are young and ____," omitting the words "rejoice" and "free." Variations of the line supplied by onlookers via cell phone were, “Australians all let us ditch the Queen, for we are young and she’s so Elizabethan," and “Australians all let us fixate on celebrities, for we are young and they are digitally enhanced.” A full complement of revisions can be viewed at this website. The next "New Anthems" installation, which is adapted from Sydney-born Dorothea Mackellar's 1904 poem "My Country," will be on view September 14–28. It will read, "I love a ____ country, a land of ____ plains." (Original words: sunburnt/sweeping.)

Posted in: Arts + Culture, Technology



Comments [4]

I love this story. It reminds me of a hilarious segment on the TV news when I was in Brisbane on Australia Day years ago. They tried to get people to sing the national anthem, but featured those who could not recall the correct lyrics.

Why not fill in your own? Thanks Aussies for continuing to keep it light.
Steve
09.11.09
08:18

Beautiful installation
Most Interesting Ideas
09.11.09
08:54

A brilliant & beautiful work. This is the potential of design. It's fun, funny & serious at the same time. Inkahoots are wonderful.
Micah Swain
09.11.09
09:42

This reminds me of a clothing shop near my friends place in Chicago, IL I walked passed it many times and realized their where LCD screens instead of mannequins. They displayed random images of passer-bys wearing the T-shirts as statements. Important statements on clothing are like walking advertisements. You can wear a T-shirt that says nike because its a common logo or you can go find a random shirt that has a greater meaning, something that the majority can relate to or something that causes major reaction.
Katie Klumb
10.10.09
01:27


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