Local Positioning Systems

Local Positioning Systems activates the circular worship space at the Victorian Quaker Centre, where the soundscape is nestled within an architecture built for silence and reflection. It invites a Quaker form of communal listening, reinforcing the invitation to bear witness, sit with discomfort, and consider how we might respond.

This six-channel sound work features the voices of people experiencing homelessness, crisis, and pandemic-era relocations. It immerses listeners in stories of lived experience, reflecting on systems of alienation and support, and self-determination. Drawn from field recordings made for the Homeless in Hotels radio series, participants consider what it means to occupy public space while navigating systemic relocations and drawing strength from peer solidarity.

The surround soundscape is accompanied by occasional live performances by Jenny Hickinbotham and David Shearman, who bring their own stories into the space. Quaker values—simplicity, community, equality, and stewardship—resonate through the architecture’s quiet refusal of spectacle. In this setting, the sound work becomes an acoustic form of witness, asking listeners to stay and listen.


Exhibitions: Local Positioning Systems, Victorian Quaker Centre/Open House Melbourne (2025); Local Positioning Systems, Mission to Seafarers (2024).

Acknowledgements
Deakin University Commission via HOME Strategic Research and Innovation Centre and Public Exchange Bureau with curators Cameron Bishop and Annie Wilson.

We thank Kelly Whitworth, Patrick Chiappalone, and David Giles for access to the Homeless in Hotels audio archive, and the community members who shared their experiences. Many thanks to performers Jenny Hickinbotham and David Shearman.

The project has been generously supported by Deakin University researchers Patrick West, Cameron Bishop, Annie Wilson, Simon Grennan, Ilona Jetmar, David Giles, and Vivian Gerrand. Our thanks to Nervegna Reed + pH Architects and hosts at Quakers.

Photo credits
Installation views by Sonia Leber
Portrait of artists by Toby Reed