Lewis Fidock and Joshua Petherick’s works have a theatrical quality, steeped in the pathos of fantasy, haunted by apparitions, spectres and illusory likenesses. Philip Brophy’s review of the pair’s 2020 show Weevils in the Flour likened the atmos to DnD, Labyrinth (1986), The Dark Crystal (1982), Myer Christmas window displays, and “olde worlde” themed restaurants. It’s easy to get consumed by cinematic similes, ending up with more meaningful information than you can possibly synthesise. It may be a classic writerly faux pas that Brophy and I are particularly susceptible to, but it’s galvanised by Fidock and Petherick’s strategy of dissolving nostalgia, speculative futures, and parallel timelines in an uncanny dimension of presentness. Make A Wish! at Asbestos is no exception to their emotionally cunning world-building tradition.
The Asbestos shed is home to six immaculately produced oversized leaves—a mix of downtrodden neighbourhood varieties. Their scale makes the space diorama-like—the “Escher room” effect you’d expect to find in a science museum. Each leaf is in a distinct stage of decomposition, strewn across the space with autumnal nonchalance.
Audrey Schmidt is a writer and Melbourne Personality.
