Rhys Cousins’ exhibition Essence the Suburban Street isn’t just about what you see in front of you.
The exhibition, which includes installations and projection, focuses on the experience of the suburban street through two distinct senses – touch and sight.
Cousins said he wanted to reimagine how people see their local street.
“I want people to connect with Brimbank locally, especially through the connections that were formed during COVID-19.
“The project encourages a connection to locality through an installation intended to ‘ground’ the participant, where, exposed by the removal of obstruction (shoes and socks), we feel our way over the texture of urban surfaces (concrete, asphalt, timber, etc) and re-connect physically to the place of Brimbank.”
The visual projection reimagines local advertising as poetic and representational of the people behind the store facade.
Cousins said he was in part inspired to create the project after talking with his mum and her talking about her childhood.
“My mum grew up in New Zealand in a small town and she used to walk around the town with no shoes on.
“It changes how you feel about a city or street.”
The exhibition will run from June 30 through to August at the Sunshine Art Spaces Gallery.
