Installations
by JEPPE HEIN (Central Gallery)
&
PHLOEM POETICA works by SARAH ELSON
(Westend Gallery)
12th February - 5th
April, 2010 @ PICA
Reviewed by Judith
McGrath
The interactive
installations by Jeppe Hein seen here, both inside and outside the
venue, intrige and delight the viewer/participant. We were drawn
to the steps of the cultural centre by the squeals of delight and the
sound of a waterfall just outside PICA. On approach we didn't see
water-falling, instead we found water shooting upwards! A large square was drawn by jets spouting
water, which also devided the square into four sections. Children
were joyously hopping through the curtains of water, in and out of the
'rooms'. We soon noticed how the water spouts randomly stopped and
started of their own volition. This invited the timid child or brave
adult to attempt to navigate the spaces without getting wet. Hein's Appearing Rooms (the title of this
watery exhibit) is a delight to look at and play with, especially on a
hot day.
There are more equally well-presented and intriguing interactive
exhibits by this artist inside PICA. The first one you encounter is Spiral Labyrinth contructed of
mirrored pillars which provides an interesting experience. Then there
is a simple box seat placed on the floor facing a mirror on the wall.
It invites us to sit, rest and reflect on our reflection, until a cloud
escapes from a number of outlets around the Smoking Bench.
These three interactive exhibits (water, mirror, smoke)
highlight the joy, interest, and surprise art can offer the
participant; all possitive motives for making art. However, Hein's
other exhibits seem to take the viewer from physical delight to
cerebral conundrum. We did appreciate the neon question; "Why do we all keep looking for greatness"
posted up high on the wall. As the viewer approaches the sign, the
words 'we all'
change to 'YOU'. It's food for
thought. By far, the most inviting and mesmerising exhibit is Almost Nothing. Here a delicate
white feather is blown gently around inside a clear orb that is
suspended from the ceiling. Sometimes the simplest presentation evokes
the deepest contemplation. I could have stood there all day mentally
'shooting the breeze' with that elusive fluttering feather.
Upstairs, Sarah Elson delights us with the delicacy of nature. Here
tiny seed pods and prickles, bugs and blossoms, are preserved and
presented in this wonderful display that celebrates the perfection
found in nature. The exhibition represents a decade of work as each
collected 'exhibit' has been preserved in resin or cast in metal. Take
your time to marvel at the beauty of nature's constructions, the
delicacy of the parts that contributes to the strength of the whole. I
never noticed how beautiful the common brown moth was, until I had time
to study a found dead insect that had been cast in silver. Nor was I
able to really appreciate the delicacy of tiny wild flowers until I
could better see their structure when cast in resin. Fascinating
fare.