Kudos acknowledges and pays respect to the Gadigal and Bidjigal people of the Eora nation. They are the traditional custodians of the land Kudos operates on. We create, design, share, and exchange our work and knowledge on this important meeting place. We pay our respects to elders past and present and extend that respect to any First Nations people who engage with Kudos. This is and always will be Aboriginal land.
Toni Tait is an artist working across sculpture, sound, performance, and expanded photography on Gadigal land. Her practice examines the entanglements between settler colonialism, infrastructure, and our environment. Guided by deep listening, she develops site-responsive works that aim to draw audiences into the vibrations, histories, and relations embedded within place. @t0ni__t |
| PIPE KING |
Toni Tait, PIPE KING, 2026, PVC Pipes, saddle clips, speaker, field recording, dimensions variable.
| PIPE KING (2026) is a sonic and sculptural encounter that examines the systems of authority that govern the flow of water. PVC pipes extend from the gallery wall, travel across the floor, and bend into the architectural crevices of the gallery, revealing the hidden system as a drawing in space. The work draws on the visual language of architectural plumbing plans, translating the lines that regulate and map the flow of water into a physical, spatial encounter. Speakers concealed within the pipe conduits play manipulated field recordings captured from the water infrastructure embedded within the gallery’s architecture. The pipes echo the usually imperceptible sounds of controlled water flows that support the functioning of the gallery itself, creating an embodied encounter between the audience and the infrastructure that sustains the space. The title, PIPE KING, makes reference to an Australian plumbing brand, evoking the authority and ownership embedded within water infrastructure. While this infrastructure usually disappears from our day-to-day conscious attention and is understood as purely utilitarian, these systems facilitate the flow of water through networks of containment, diversion and control. They are designed to operate out of sight, hidden behind walls and ceilings, below ground and throughout landscapes. Extending the pipe system into the gallery space reveals this infrastructure as spatially organising, directing the flow of both water and bodies. PIPE KING invites consideration of who has the authority to direct the flow of water and how these systems shape our relationships to place and resources. The work approaches listening as a means of attending to the hidden networks that organise everyday life, positioning water infrastructure as a material expression of power This document details multiple test installations of PIPE KING and is a visual guide to how the pipes can be connected and organised depending on the site of installation. Access an example of the audio played within each of the works here: https://on.soundcloud.com/wvq2isrFFhwKD17q2 |