I went to see the new shows at the Whitechapel Gallery.
First of all, Out of The Margins.
Details of many performance-based shows that have been put on over the past 25 years, and the venues that hosted them. Including photos and videos and papers from the exhibitions.
Then I went further upstairs to see Tracing Absence.
There is a booklet about the ideas that went in to this selection.
This reminded me of a show I saw at the Royal College of Art back in 2014, where some Creative Writing graduates were giving readings from their latest works. On the way out I’d seen another presentation in which the Design graduates were showing off their work, including a section of futuristic ideas for luxury cars. They had mock-ups of advertising posters for their ideas, and one of them was on the theme of “Tangible Absence”, according to an old notes I still have from it. The copy went:
THE WAY WE LIVE TODAY IS DICTATED BY DIGITAL COMMUNICATION WHICH EXTENDS AND EMPOWERS OUR RELATIONSHIPS IT IS SET TO DEVELOP EXPONENTIALLY AND GROW MORE SOPHISTICATED IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE HOWEVER THE MANNER IN WHICH IT CAUSES US TO COMMUNICATE DISGUISES THE UNDERLYING EROSION OF THE PHYSICAL ESSENCE IN INTER-PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS SOMETHING WE SUBCONSCIOUSLY DON’T REALISE
THE VEHICLE IS CHARACTERISED BY A NEST DESIGN TO RE-DISCOVER GENUINE AND SIMPLE SENSATIONS FOR A NEW ANALOG LIFE EXPERIENCE THE NEW LUXURY IS TO BE DISCONNECTED
How true, how true, even after 8 years.
Finally in the Christen Sveaas Art Foundation, the new selection Portal Da Plata by Donna Huanca. The works here are laid out in a circular structure given in this plan:
The wall of spoons, which is not a discrete and named rt work in itself and was apparently supplied by Donna Huanca herself:
The centre of the arrangement, from the top right of the plan. You can just see the ends of my legs in one of the mirrors:
From the other side:
As the plan also shows, there is a soundtrack playing, by MAPA.
DiscontinuedNotes 