Space Odysseys
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plunge in
The international and Australian contemporary artists in Space Odysseys: Sensation and Immersion invite us on a journey into physical and electronic spaces of imagery, light and sound. Visitors will literally move through art works, interact with ghostly figures and be submerged in limitless space.
Organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Space Odysseys: Sensation and Immersion will be on view from 18 August to 14 October. The works will also form part of a major exhibition, Deep Space: Sensation and Immersion at the new Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) at Federation Square in Melbourne in early 2002.
�The Gallery will be transformed into a series of immersive spatial experiences � both physical and virtual. The works range from the phantasmagoric to the meditative � some intangible, others humourous or uncanny. Environments are created, chambers if you like, for the visitor to participate in an all-encompassing aesthetic experience. It�s a memorable and transformative odyssey,� said Curator, Victoria Lynn.
Space Odysseys: Sensation and Immersion includes two major �light-room� sculptures by leading American artists Bruce Nauman and James Turrell. These luminous chambers present sensations of endless depth, light and time as the viewer�s eyes and body adjust to the spaces.
Other works in the exhibition show the influences of new technologies on contemporary art. Tall Ships, a seminal work by American artist Gary Hill, invites viewers to traverse a long dark corridor where ghostly images of strangers come and go in response to the viewer�s presence. An interactive video panorama by French-Canadian Luc Courchesne, The Visitor, Living By Number, encourages participants to converse with the narrative sequence on screen through a system of voice recognition. No longer will the audience sit in the cinema as a passive observer � they will make a virtual journey through the screen into the drama itself.
Japanese artist, Mariko Mori, presents a video installation, Link, which shows the artist in a transparent capsule in ancient and futuristic landscapes, from the Egyptian pyramids to contemporary Shanghai, New York and London.
Australian artists David Haines and Joyce Hinterding�s digital video installation offers a surreal world where the contents of a remote dwelling float through and beyond the earth�s atmosphere.
Also from Australia, Lynette Wallworth, creates an intimate corridor, Hold, where images of the night sky and underwater life, derived from powerful telescopes and microscopes, are projected onto small bowls that are carried through the space by the viewer.
A key precursor to the contemporary artistic manifestations of light, movement and space is the work of Bauhaus artist L�szl� Moholy-Nagy. His 1930 film, Lightplay Black-White-Gray, will be screened as part of the exhibition. An accompanying film program will also include Jean Cocteau�s 1950 film Orph�e. �The exhibition has been inspired by a key cinematic moment in this film � when Orpheus enters the Underworld by stretching his arms through a mirror. The mirror becomes liquid and he journeys into an eerie and uncanny zone,� said Victoria Lynn.
Space Odysseys: Sensation and Immersion will plunge the audience in wondrous volumes of light, sound and stimulus.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) at Federation Square, Melbourne.
Lectures
Tuesday 21 August at 11am
Erik Davis
Thursday 23 August at 11am
Luc Courchesne
Cost Free of Charge
Bookings telephone (02) 9225 1740
Space Odysseys Film Programme
Curated by Fiona O�Grady, the film programme will include short experimental cinema, through documentary and feature films that echo the themes of the exhibition.
Wednesday 15 August to Thursday 4 October
Film Programme Information:
(02) 9225 1740
International Symposium
Saturday 18 August 10am to 4.40pm
This International Symposium will offer lively perspectives on immersive and virtual experiences in innovative art. Speakers include San Francisco-based Erik Davis (www.levity.com/figment) contributing editor of Wired magazine and author of Techgnosis, together with Ann Finegan, Scott McQuire, Ross Gibson, and an artists� panel
Cost
$80 Adults/$70 AGS members/$50 concession
Bookings essential (02) 9225 1878
Exhibition website www.space-odysseys.com(from 18 August 2001)
Supporting Sponsors
Qantas
Asprey Di Donato Design
Hotel Inter-Continental Sydney
Avant Card
Squiz.net
Luc Courchesne�s visit is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada, and Air Canada.
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| On view: | Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road
The Domain, Sydney, Australia | | Telephone: | (02) 9225 1744 or recorded information
(02) 9225 1790
| | Hours: | 10am to 5pm 7 days a week
(closed Christmas Day and Easter Friday) | | Admission: | $8 adults / $5 concessions/members | | Media Information and Interviews: | Jan Batten
Press Office
telephone 61 2 9233 1213
email janb@ag.nsw.gov.au |
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