May 2022
Written on the land of the Dhudhuroa people, acknowledging their past, and their descendants’ connection to this land.
To Whom it May Concern;
I first met Jessie Bullivant at 3.15pm on 14th October 1986, I can only lay claim to being the second longest person of their acquaintance. We have enjoyed so many experiences over the subsequent years I can only select a few of them to share; Camping on a stony island in the Murray River under river red gums and tea trees listening to the flowing river as we rested. A Sunday excursion to the closest Mountain to have a lesson in skiing. A first driving lesson at a public nature reserve which has long been a meeting place for local people. And in more recent years I have shared in their travels, on road trips; across the USA, in Iceland, across Australia and the Nordics.
These shared journeys have often been during the formulation of artworks, and when we have discussed, for example;
* equipment required to execute “lift and lower”; 2010.
* scouting suitable West and South Australian beaches for executing and photography of sand-written texts for “Artwork Haiku Work”; 2014.
* the potential of moving mature trees for “Both at once”; 2014.
I offer these personal recollections in the interest of transparency as I have been requested to relate my experience of a specific artwork from 2012 where Jessie employed two professional window washers to clean the first floor windows of KINGS artist-run in Melbourne’s business district.
This work (“Transparent Action”) occurred in a period in Jessie’s practice where the site-specific nature of their art had been established. I remember discussions about this work and the prevalence of the use of the term transparency in the spheres of Politics and Business. I interpreted the transitory nature of “Transparent Action” as a prompt to the art imbued audience to look “outside the box” viz; the gallery. I believe Jessie’s probing of fundamental bureaucratic structures and expectations incises the underbelly of the compartmentalised Art-space.
I proudly offer this letter of support,
David J Bullivant
Albury NSW Australia