Glass Half Full:

Glass Half Full, oil on cardboard placards with wood, interviews and a zine, installation shots Artspace Sydney and Mori Gallery, Sydney, 2006.

Installation: Zanny Begg, 2006.
Oil painting and placards with a zine.

Is the glass half empty or half full? An optimist says the latter a pessimist the former – but in both cases it is still only half a glass of water. Those who struggle against alienation and injustice nurture our optimism in fragile circumstances. Our desire for a better world springs out of the failings and limitations of this one. In this work I interview seven people who have made a commitment to social transformation their central passion. There are many people I wanted to ask to participate but I have started with these people because they have all sustained their activism over a long period of time and confronted all the associated issues of growing up, losing heart, gaining confidence and hanging in there.

This work is a tribute to all people who retain their "optimism of the will" but thanks especially to Kate, Jess, Osama, Rjurik, Kim, Marina and Jean.

To access transcripts of the interviews go here.