In Launceston in late 2011 the public was allowed on to the field at half time during the regional Aussie Rules grand final. Kids kicked balls, little children and parents wandered around taking in the scene. Then something odd happened. Men, women and children dressed head-to-toe in white overalls jogged single file on to the grass. There was something disconcerting about their appearance, as though their costume was related to an emergency—a toxic spill, bomb threat or radiation leak—but their behavior was reassuringly playful. The white suited figures broke into groups and occupied different parts of the field, using their prone bodies to outline the markings for the goal square and goal posts. Beguiled by the performance kids and adults joined in. Eventually the white-suited performers occupied the centre square and, with the help of hundreds of football fans, completely covered the white lines marking its boundary.
“Along White Lines” was a performance staged by Sylvia Schwenk at Aurora Stadium during half time at the Northern Tasmanian Football Association Grand Final. Watching the video of the event one is struck by the good will of the crowd – as these odd, white-suited figures take their places and begin to form lines, bemusement turns to fascination – and then to participation. The low-key nature of the work seems to attract this good will and there is a festive air to proceedings. The relationship between the artist’s crew of 30 volunteer performers and the public becomes collaborative, the innocent action of lying on the ground one of definition. The football field is a codified space described by lines, distances and boundaries that, without the football teams, becomes a delimited space of possibility. “Along White Lines” subtly reminds us of the structure of social relationships between artist, audience and setting but, more importantly, the work underscores the consensual nature of those relationships.
Schwenk’s work is a democratic experience where every step of her process is open to the audience to engage, interact and direct the outcome.
— Extract from “Engage, explore and evolve” by Andrew Frost