Toward a New World Order

Overview

Nestled in the seemingly peaceful, suburban atmosphere of Woolloomooloo is a installation work that evokes the tensions of history underlying this newly gentrified suburb, while pointing towards the possibility of an apocalyptic future.

The installation is a site, frozen in time; a kind of archeological dig evidencing the last stand of humanity against the collapse of the world we now know. Located in a vacant lot roughly behind Artspace, reaching the installation takes a bit of detective work. The site is strangely eerie, barely marked as 'art', with its components open to the elements. It might perhaps be the last moment at the 'End of Time' and the only pitiful evidence of human existence.

The title of this work draws on New World Order conspiracy theories and is a specific reference to a speech made by George W. Bush in 1990. While some reference points are more extreme, such as the survivalist movement, the main thrust of Michael Goldberg's work speaks to common environmental concerns, particularly global warming, and economic concerns, capitalist greed and the abuse of resources - concerns which have additional resonance in this place which has known such a troubled past.

Image: Toward A New World Order, site installation view, 56-58 Nicholson Street, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, 2011