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Forty six point four

Building

The hottest day on record prompted F and I to get out of the house and soak up the perverse heat en route to ACCA. Once we got there, I marvelled at how appropriate the building feels from the outside in 40+ degrees as the reflections from the sand started to bleach my dry eyeballs. We headed there figuring that it would be air-conditioned; a more cultured escape from the heat than shopping malls at least.
To my delight, the current exhibition 'The Water Hole' treats the whole gallery as an immersive meditation on the nature and origins of our water. Stepping into a beautifully air conditioned tunnel, the walls constructed out of a lightweight foil with found branches supporting the metallic skin. As you walk past and through it, the lightest breeze causes the insulation to breathe, further heightening my realising that this was the best choice of all possible galleries to visit on victoria's hottest day on record. 
Tunnel

Tunnel2

 

Pipes

 

Coming to the end of the cavernous walkway, you're presented with an orgy of erratic objects; from plastic toys, spiders and mobile phones, crystals, toy flowers, tree branches, plastic water bottles, pvc piping and naturally a kitchen sink. A charming mix of organic and inorganic matter, the main room is heavily detailed, and once you end up at the water hole, the title of the exhibition, it's worth marvelling at the technical detail. The result of a three month stay in victoria, the artists Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzlinger became fascinated with the importance that water plays on our psyche, and as a reflection of the australian landscape. For those wanting a more detailed explanation of their work, ACCA has a rather illuminating audio interview with them. Only now do I realise that I listened to it while doing the dishes today; I did try and conserve the water while I was doing it though. Without wanting to get all meta on everyone, I didn't really think about where the water comes from, nor think about where it was going, something the artists explored rather in a timely manner considering this vicious drought we're only now beginning to feel it's true effects. 
Pond

 

This isn't the whole exhibition, as this cooling wonderland takes over the whole of the gallery. I highly suggest you check out the three beds, each offering different horizontal perspectives. A bed hanging from the roof gave  me to time to meditate on the sparse lines given off from the shadows and cables holding me up, contrasted rather nicely with the huge hanging mobile over at the next bed. Similar materials (branches, plastic toys, leaves etc) hang above your head, air conditioning slowly rotating them all, giving you time to focus on each element and the interplay of shadows they give off. I'm still impressed that none of the objects interrupted the flow of the other. The last bed allowed for a far more reflective escape from the heat. Suspended centimetres above your face is a 4 million year old asteroid; giving time to really consider the simple majesty of a rock, albeit one with a glacial timeframe. I'd go into detail discussing the other rooms, but I hope by omission you'll decide to go and check it out. Although it finishes on the 1st of march, I'd wait for a really hot day to go and see it. 

Posted on February 09, 2009 in Atomplexity, Contemporaneicity, Localography |

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