| As the final months of 2015 arrived and the year sped towards its final hour, I visited a flurry of participatory art exhibitions across London, all of which had something in common. In a city which constantly churns out exhibitions and events, it was, as ever the immersive shows which won my time and appreciation. The Old Masters never did appeal to me; a child of the times, it has always been Contemporary Art which strikes a chord. Viewing art is always fascinating on some level, but truly experiencing art is something altogether more memorable. With so much visual stimulation in today’s world, now more than ever it is not enough just to look, we want to get involved. Art which forces the viewer to in some way participate is not new. In the 1960s American artist Bruce Nauman’s ‘Performance Corridor’ forced his viewers to walk down a 20 inch wide corridor, and experience the constraints of space - not too dissimilarly to Höller’s opening corridor in his 2015 ‘Decision’ show, albeit with light rather than space being withheld. Such experiences place the viewer in situations which stimulate the senses and provoke a reaction; this is the artist’s intent. When the viewer becomes a performer in the work, they are given a role to play in creating its meaning. It is the participation itself which completes this kind of work; unlike a painting which needs no viewer to add the finishing touch, without the viewer participatory art remains incomplete. |   |
French literary theorist Roland Barthes produced an essay in the late 1960’s aptly titled The Death of the Author which described how the meaning of a piece of literature is derived not from the words as they sit in ink on the page, but through the impression they have on the reader. Barthes believed that meaning occurred somewhere in the space between the reader and the work. The same can be said for art - meaning is re-created in the here and now as the work is digested by the viewer. The importance of the role of the viewer has heavily influenced postmodern art, and wider understandings of how meaning is created. From Abstract Expressionism, to Minimalism, Conceptualism, and most isms thereafter, the function of the viewer has been to bring a level of meaning to the art. We can never say with absolute certainty what any artist intends to communicate with their work, for we will always consciously or subconsciously come to our own conclusions. Every experience in life is entirely subjective, and art is no exception.
Of course, with immersive art not all control is given to the viewer. In Carsten Höller’s Hayward Gallery show he deliberately orchestrated uncomfortable experiences, but our experiences of these was only limited by the safety of the gallery walls and our ‘Decision’ to participate or simply view. Back in the 1960s Bruce Nauman made an important point, speaking of ‘participation pieces without participants being able to alter the work,’ confirming that the viewer’s contribution to meaning only penetrates so far. The following three exhibitions touched on the above thoughts...
Of course, with immersive art not all control is given to the viewer. In Carsten Höller’s Hayward Gallery show he deliberately orchestrated uncomfortable experiences, but our experiences of these was only limited by the safety of the gallery walls and our ‘Decision’ to participate or simply view. Back in the 1960s Bruce Nauman made an important point, speaking of ‘participation pieces without participants being able to alter the work,’ confirming that the viewer’s contribution to meaning only penetrates so far. The following three exhibitions touched on the above thoughts...
Ann Veronica Janssens – yellowbluepink Installation,
part of States of Mind: Tracing the edges of consciousness - 15 October 2015 to 3 January 2016
“Nothing is more beautiful than a person's own perception. I try to push it to its limits,”
Ann Veronica Janssens
Janssens installation follows in the footsteps of Anthony Gormley (Blind Light, 2007), Olafur Eliasson and Ma Yansong (Feelings are Facts, 2010), and Carlos Cruz-Diez (Chromosaturation, 2010), using colour and air to disorientate visitors and engage the senses. Impregnating the air of one of the Wellcome Collection’s gallery spaces with colour (unsurprisingly yellow, blue and pink), she creates a multi-sensory experience designed to make us explore consciousness. Hanging like a veil within the space, the colour is so thick that it is almost blinding, thick enough to get lost in. By destabilising perceptual norms Janssens engages with our senses, making us hyper-aware of the process of seeing. The experience is a form of escapism, the heavenly colour cloud removing you from the world outside of the gallery walls, forcing you to be present, fully conscious, and to stop the perpetual train of wandering thought. The experience is social, fun, yet individual. To be four steps away from your friend is to see them slip away and eventually disappear. The fear of not being able to navigate your way through the space is pacified by the knowledge that you are, after all, safely contained in a gallery space with four walls.
Janssens’ installation formed part of States of Mind, a year-long investigation into the experience of human consciousness, ‘a topic seemingly defined as much by what is yet to be understood as what can be readily explained.’ The next installation of the series, 'The Whisper Heard' by Imogen Stidworthy, runs from 4 February until 24 April.
Wellcome Collection, 83 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE, UK
Ann Veronica Janssens
Janssens installation follows in the footsteps of Anthony Gormley (Blind Light, 2007), Olafur Eliasson and Ma Yansong (Feelings are Facts, 2010), and Carlos Cruz-Diez (Chromosaturation, 2010), using colour and air to disorientate visitors and engage the senses. Impregnating the air of one of the Wellcome Collection’s gallery spaces with colour (unsurprisingly yellow, blue and pink), she creates a multi-sensory experience designed to make us explore consciousness. Hanging like a veil within the space, the colour is so thick that it is almost blinding, thick enough to get lost in. By destabilising perceptual norms Janssens engages with our senses, making us hyper-aware of the process of seeing. The experience is a form of escapism, the heavenly colour cloud removing you from the world outside of the gallery walls, forcing you to be present, fully conscious, and to stop the perpetual train of wandering thought. The experience is social, fun, yet individual. To be four steps away from your friend is to see them slip away and eventually disappear. The fear of not being able to navigate your way through the space is pacified by the knowledge that you are, after all, safely contained in a gallery space with four walls.
Janssens’ installation formed part of States of Mind, a year-long investigation into the experience of human consciousness, ‘a topic seemingly defined as much by what is yet to be understood as what can be readily explained.’ The next installation of the series, 'The Whisper Heard' by Imogen Stidworthy, runs from 4 February until 24 April.
Wellcome Collection, 83 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE, UK
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Marcus Lyall, with Rob Thomas and Alex Anpilogov - On Your Wavelength,
part of MERGE Festival - 18 September - 18 October 2015
Marcus Lyall, renowned for his award-winning stage visuals for the Chemical Brothers and Metallica, recently teamed up with Rob Thomas and Alex Anpilogov to create a mind-powered laser and sound installation. Located in a darkened room under America Street’s Railway Arch, the installation was part of the 2015 MERGE festival of events and happenings on Bankside. Public participation involved visitors wearing a headset, one at a time, which used the latest technology to transmit brain activity into choreographed digital artwork on a large scale. The resulting individual visual soundscapes left visitors transfixed, the shifting speed and colour of light rays danced before their eyes to the rhythm and tune of whoever’s mind was controlling the headset. The experience was mesmerizing, all-consuming, and strangely relaxing. Visitors were welcome to either view or participate in the interactive light show.
The MERGE annual festival should be returning to disused spaces in Bankside September to October 2016.
The MERGE annual festival should be returning to disused spaces in Bankside September to October 2016.
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Dominic Harris - Moments of Reflection - Phos Art + Design - 18 September to 31 October 2015
Moments of Reflection explored the human perceptions and expressions of the self through the artist’s signature use of advanced digital technology. The interactive nature of Harris’ practice engages the viewer directly by making them composer to the work. Each piece responds to movement, translating it into digital visuals and sound pieces. The screens appear lifeless without the movement of a viewer to guide it; it is simply at peace until you interact with it. Ice Angel, which evokes the snow angels of childhood, it uses sound and light to provide the viewer with wings in response to the rhythmic arm movements. Conductor similarly responds to movement, creating a soundtrack and explosion of light, colour and forms in response to the viewer’s engagements. The all-encompassing experience allows the viewer to get lost in the galaxy of shapes, light and sound, allowing the self to embody the virtual environment. Harris makes the viewer a necessity in his work, which in essence simply reflects reality in the virtual world. By experimenting with new technologies Harris helps to shape new interdisciplinary ways of working, which in turn expose the potential of art.
Phos Art + Design, 15-16 Brooks Mews, Mayfair, London W1K 4DS
Phos Art + Design, 15-16 Brooks Mews, Mayfair, London W1K 4DS
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No doubt 2016 will throw up much more to be deliberated. As ever, critics will bash this type of interactive art as mere entertainment, and proclaim art is no longer as skillful as it once was, back in the day. But one thing's for sure, galleries are starting to feel less and less like hushed libraries. They are becoming more social, and at the same time more determined than ever to take us somewhere else; to remove us from our tiresome mindsets and to make us feel more present, more alive.
Long may that continue!
Author: Sarah Moor
SLMpickings has been nominated for the Arts & Culture UK Blog Awards 2016, and I'd love your vote. Please visit http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2016/my-entry/slmpickings, enter your details and select 'Arts & Culture' as the category. If you've already done it thank you so much. Voting doesn't close until the end of Jan so if you get chance to vote twice then please do so!
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