Ghosts of the Past & Future
On Friday 2nd of May I exhibited an experimental sculpture called Ghosts of the Past and Future as part of the Common Sense Exhibition with the Affectors at Brand X Gallery, Sydney.
The exhibition was all about activating the senses- Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch & Sound.
Responding to the theme of the show, I decided to make a melting chocolate sculpture- a piece that would start the exhibition as a solid piece, and then melt before people’s eyes.
Having the chocolate melt would target almost all of the 5 senses while also playing with the established relationships between artwork and viewer.
As the sculpture began to melt, people began to look twice and watch the process of change occurring before their eyes. They could smell the aroma of chocolate in the air.
Quickly people began to comment on how good the sculpture smelled and how they wanted to eat it. And before long viewers were breaking the traditional ‘no touching’ rules of the art gallery environment, dipping their fingers into the chocolate and scooping it into their mouths. This added taste and touch to the experience of the piece.
The work was an experiment that I had long been wanting to carry out. I’ve wanted for a long time to create a multi-sensory artwork that encouraged viewer interaction by it’s very nature- artwork that engages the viewer on a visceral, physical level rather than an intellectual one. I wanted to create an element of positive surprise for the viewer- the question of “Is this supposed to happen? Is the piece supposed to be melting? Am I supposed to be eating it?”. By creating the experience of positive surprise (as opposed to “shock”) I wanted to give the viewer a pleasant uncertainty about the work and find their own way of relating to it.
Overall, I think it was a success in that sense.
LM
