Dimensions
135 x 211 x 27mm
Vic is driving a troop train pulling into Melbourne's Spencer Street Station in 1946. His young wife, Rita, is at home awaiting the birth of their first child amid a time of post-war homecomings and departures, the Angry Penguins and social and artistic change. Meanwhile, a young journalist, George, has heard about an old woman living in a tent on a block of land, on the outskirts of the city, and writes an article about her. She is Vic's eccentric aunt Katherine, and George's article intrigues an up-and-coming artist who visits Katherine's neighbourhood and paints a portrait of her -- against her wishes.
Art and life blend as Carroll's characters explore the possibilities of transformation, other selves and the notion of 'elsewhere'. Lyrical and evocative, Spirit of Progress is a powerful portrait of a city at a pivotal moment in history.