NL
Exhibition
Exhibition
Part of Out of Office

8 Hours Labour – Limited Term Appointment

Sam Meech

(England)
2023, Knitted textile banner, video documentation, contract

8 Hours Labour – Limited Term Appointment is a machine knitting performance highlighting the exploitative culture of overwork in academia. Building on previous works, (Punchcard Economy, 8 Hours Labour), over the course of 8 hours the artist knitted a banner with the text ‘8 Hours Labour’, using a hacked domestic knitting machine. In the banner design, he incorporated data from people working in academia – expressed as inverted stitches – showing the amount of work they do beyond a typical 8-hour day contract. The banner is accompanied by two videos – the first video documents the ‘artistic labour’ involved in producing the banner in the artist’s studio.The second video documents the artist clearing his office at Concordia University, Montreal, having terminated his LTA (Limited Term Appointment) teaching contract early due to burnout.


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