LINDA DEMENT

50 beats per minute is the rate at which the human heart falls dangerously close to failure.

Doley and Dement question a current cringe at the word feminism, an apparent lull of complacency and denial in a generation of Australian women who, despite the tremendous efforts and gains of past activism, receive less pay, hold fewer positions of power, are far less likely to achieve success in almost any area and far more likely to be sexually assaulted than their male counterparts.

Where is feminism now and why is there fear of the F-word?

A half tonne explosives bag, strung up and sagging, leaks black fluid, its half dead presence bleeding out onto the floor. A minuscule screen flashes text of warning and outrage, a furious energy reduced to a micro scale easily overlooked. Helen Reddy's optimistic anthem "I Am Woman" slowed to 50 beats per minute wavers around them, stretched and dragged under.

50BPM exposes a raw and precarious situation, its lifespan uncertain, its fallout uncontainable.