Art is similar to most other things in life in one important way. 90% of it is crap.
I'm always reminded of this fact after taking a look around a gallery, or most recently the Newcastle Baltic [short review: Spank the Monkey is good, there is something about putting a skate ramp in the middle of an art gallery that I approve of wholeheartedly. Much of the rest of this exhibit is also very impressive. I was also very happy and got to feel really cultured when I recognised one of the artist's names (Banksy, who contributed a defaced painting). I found Erwin Wurm and Surasi Kusolwong's exhibits to be less than impressive]
On the other hand the piece of art I'm going to talk about in this post looks incredible and I'm actually giving serious thought to spending a weekend in London just to get the chance to see it!
I'll let the official press release describe what is going on:
I just love the idea of standing alone in the middle of a lake (2/3 of a church must be pretty bloody deep), with no obvious way to get back to the shore.
Seriously, how fucking awesome is that?
I'm always reminded of this fact after taking a look around a gallery, or most recently the Newcastle Baltic [short review: Spank the Monkey is good, there is something about putting a skate ramp in the middle of an art gallery that I approve of wholeheartedly. Much of the rest of this exhibit is also very impressive. I was also very happy and got to feel really cultured when I recognised one of the artist's names (Banksy, who contributed a defaced painting). I found Erwin Wurm and Surasi Kusolwong's exhibits to be less than impressive]
On the other hand the piece of art I'm going to talk about in this post looks incredible and I'm actually giving serious thought to spending a weekend in London just to get the chance to see it!
I'll let the official press release describe what is going on:
Bridge is a spectacular new site-specific design commission for Dilston Grove by Michael Cross. Housed in a former church, (one of the earliest examples of poured concrete construction and a Grade II listed building), the piece comprises submerging two thirds of the inside of the church in water, and producing a series of steps which rise out of the apparently empty man-made ‘lake’ as you walk across them. Each step emerges one step in front of you and disappears back underneath behind you as you go. This ‘bridge’ is purely mechanical, the weight of the person on it depresses each step a little, this force activates a submerged mechanism which raises the next step.
The public are invited to walk out on it as if walking on water, eventually reaching the middle of the lake, thirty steps and twelve meters from the shore. There they will stand alone and detached, stranded in the middle of a plane of water until they choose to return the way they came. For some people this experience of being cut off and surrounded by water will be peaceful, for others terrifying. For some walking across the water will be pure childish joy, whilst others will be too scared to try. I just love the idea of standing alone in the middle of a lake (2/3 of a church must be pretty bloody deep), with no obvious way to get back to the shore.
Seriously, how fucking awesome is that?
