centrifuge prototype

Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA), Perth, Australia. 2008

Centrifuge Prototype was constructed of reclaimed materials from the demolition of an old soft drink factory in the neighbourhood of PICA. The project emerged from an investigation of the real estate boom in the Perth region and the shotgun architecture that accompanies it. The resulting stress on resources such as water have led to a situation where development threatens to overwhelm the region’s ability to support itself.

The centrifuge (or gravitational simulator) is used to train astronauts and pilots to withstand increased forces of gravity during maneuvers at high speeds. The Prototype installation consisted of a structure constructed from reclaimed wood with two small cabins facing each other at opposite ends of a cantilevered arm. The potential energy from the centrifuge is complicated by the fact that the structure is made of waste wood, and creaks and moves when climbed on. If it were to move, there is every likelihood that it would collapse upon itself. The precarious balance between structures and materials within the space of the studio reflects the situation Perth finds itself in, socially and ecologically.