“Collapsing City Narratives: Artistic Activism and Urban Ecologies in Strife” presented by Rollman

‘InterFace: City as a Work of Art, or City Under Redevelopment’ (1988), was a pioneering interdisciplinary project that leveraged art and digital technologies to critique urban change in Meanjin (Brisbane). Emerging as an early experiment predating conventional public art policies and unencumbered by economic or city marketing pressures, the project, with artist Jeanelle Hurst as interlocutor, represents a distinctive approach to imagining the city. Moreover, predating the digital realm as we know it, the project merits renewed critical attention, celebrating Hurst’s obscured influence in shaping early concepts of electronic telecommunications within visual art and culture. Utilizing a multifaceted approach, the study employs critical review analysis, enriched by semi-structured interviews with key participants and observers, historical memory and contextualization. By examining the project’s engagement with urban spaces and its conflicted reception in the socio-cultural context of the late 1980s, this research contributes to a deep understanding of place. As a compelling and productive counterpoint to urban renewal strategies, this study positions InterFace as an exemplar that continues to hold significance, especially in fostering innovative, collaborative and socially relevant art within the broader context of urban ecologies and change.