Lost Bedrooms
Low interest rates, generous tax settings and intergenerational wealth have meant that the ownership of homes has consolidated in recent years.
Technology companies are enabling landlords to turn bedrooms into short-stay products, removing them from circulation within communities that need them.
Lost Bedrooms displays homes previously for lease, which are now only available on Airbnb.
A robot within the artwork scans council websites looking for applications to turn houses into visitor accommodation.
Each time one is found, a rock is dropped, destroying the bedroom below as a home is taken off the long-term rental market.
Lost Bedrooms is a tribute to the homes that have been lost to short-term rental companies in greater Nipaluna/Hobart.
It stands as a reminder that whilst the housing crisis has many levers, there are some individuals who can make the choice to earn less and give someone a home.
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Across the three weeks that Lost Bedrooms was exhibiting, 10 bedrooms were taken from Nipaluna. The robot watched as 3 homes were approved as visitor accommodation. Two were large houses located deep within residential areas and one was a unit from a block of eleven on the foreshore.
Lost Bedrooms has been an odd artwork to deliver. Made up of dozens of moving parts which I spent significant energy orchestrating, the installation stood in the Schoolhouse Gallery threatening to work as expected. The best outcome for this work was for nothing to happen. For me to return, pack up 32 panels of un-smashed glass, untie 32 rocks still suspended from strings and stow away 32 motors unturned.
Unfortunately this was not to be.