Placed in vitrines situated firmly within a busy public thoroughfare, Arlo Mountford’s installation Revolutions (2024) at Assembly Point in Melbourne’s Arts Precinct showcases series of mechanical thaumatropes mounted onto wooden trestles, each revolving at speed to give rise to an uncanny phrase or affirmation yoked from literary and musical sources.

Originally a nineteenth century toy, the thaumatrope comprises of a paper disk that spins rapidly, creating an optical illusion through which a total image emerges. In Mountford’s work Revolutions, phrases like “It’s time.” and “Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!” arise through this accelerated motion, instating a familiar, verbalised text in this unfamiliarised public setting. In this regard, the phrases emerge through an absence of authorship; blurred directives in a busy section of the city which emanate out of a dark vitrine, the works circumvent further context, instead presenting as sinister affirmations that question the present, future and past.