Monday, 8 November 2010

ANISH KAPOOR


So I had a look around Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park yesterday to look at Anish Kapoor's World Turned Upside Down: four "incorporeal" sculptures. Allow me to- ahem- reflect...



Red sky mirror was my favourite piece.
Principally, due to colour.
Its position , hovering above another reflective surface contributed to its unreality.
The waterfowl also created a more dynamic image- flying and swimming in front of, behind and in the reflective surface of the mirror.
I failed to capture this convincingly!



These photographs were taken at about two o'clock (or just before)- but there's a real dusk feeling to them, think because of the overcast skies.



All about layers and layers and layers and layers...

This one I enjoyed much less:

I think it was less successful as there was no real opportunity for interaction-
from wildlife as with the sky mirrors or really from people.

It is called non-object (spire)

Not visible in this photograph is the Russian security guard lurking behind the almost invisible barrier fencing the piece off from the grubby-handed public. He was a real menacing presence.

Then, Sky Mirror- massive, 10m polished stainless steel lens.:


I think this is the same as the one that was briefly installed at the Rockefeller centre.



What is interesting- from a landscape perspective- is how fresh and invigorating these interventions are. Though probably costly in execution, the concept is really very very simple.



C-Curve succeeded in bringing the landscape into play most fully- not least because it dragged people into play as much as moire traditional landscape elements like Kensington's Trees. What is space without people? Does a space exist if there is no-one there to experience it?


Space is people. People are performance, people are event. With this in mind, the best public art is that which encourages people to perform, to interact...

...in short to define space by creating an event.

Should this not be the objective of all manufactured landscapes?

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