"It began as a vague sense of unease, unconnected to anything in particular. Ordinary objects of the built environment began to take on a threatening demeanour, looming over the bright and baking streets."

Created by artists Heidi Axelsen and Hugo Moline, The Dance of the Remediators at The Lock Up in Newcastle is an archive of a possible future; a materialised dream sequence of people being called into action by coal’s humble living relatives. 

The artists discuss any cognitive dissonance of honouring the history of coal while also evoking a visual reminder that it is not always a thing to be feared. The large-scale work examines society’s relationship to energy, and recognises coal’s long photosynthetic toil and its living relatives of mosses and ferns.

A transcript of this conversation can be downloaded here, made possible with the support from the Australian Arts Channel.