Third Space II, 2025 

rehydrated acrylic, India ink and conte on upcycled canvas, framed in discarded ornament

9” x 11”

Third Space II is a part of an ongoing project investigating a family history of physical labour  (namely mining), informed by Mikell’s unrelated disability. Identified by sociologist Ray Oldenburg as environments distinct from work and home, he suggests that Third Spaces are successful when they’re not predicated on individual entertaining, offer an equitable threshold of participation, bring together disparate communities, and are structured to promote inclusive attendance.

Building on Oldenburg’s important work, in Third Space II Mikell envisions a space where aching bodies can access ease while engaging in natural spaces ascribed greater dignity. Mikell intends to locate herself in a familial inheritance of land-based labour industries and investigate the consequences of working in resource-extraction industries. Mikell asks us to consider how these industries impact both body and land, and how this impact is compounded by leisure activities which often accompany these industries (namely fishing).

consistent with Mikell’s practice, this piece is composed entirely of repurposed materials diverted from cycles of disuse, in an effort to mitigate industry waste. As a result, imperfections to the surfaces of frames and canvases are to be expected. Please contact the artist with further inquiries about production.