a contracted encyclopaedia of labour 

In A Contracted Encyclopaedia of Labour, encyclopaedia images are curated into the concertina book to form a manual record of the time, and of the physical labour that dominated most workers’ lives.  

Encyclopaedias were once a status object of high value. Considered the ultimate source of knowledge, their images were designed to illustrate an overtly empirical (and royalist) project.
This delicate paper structure folds together two archaic paper formats that were once markers of class in British-Australian homes: the family encyclopaedia and the pianola roll.

The financial and authoritative value of these images have been subverted with the progression of time and the struggle from below to decolonise and democratise knowledge production.

The concertina forms a faux-chronology, connecting the images’ motifs to create visual rhymes. The pianola roll, also once a domestic status object, mounts depictions of labour that no longer exist. Its fragility mimics the precarious conditions in which contemporary workers are held. 

These images of workers and their tools were originally created to celebrate British innovation and industry. They were orchestrated into the most aesthetic depictions: workers well dressed, clean, often smiling or in proud poise with their instruments. 

These images are now reimagined for their documentation of labour: the adaptability of the human body and mind, and the subjugation of this power for the machinery of industry - including for war and empire. 

This work is on exhibition in Sydney during the month of November 2025 as part of the group show RE:IMAGE at Articulate Project Space in Leichardt. Please click here to discover more about the show.

RE:IMAGE Group Show at Articulate Project Space