Sydney Biennale Part 1

On the 15th March Justine and I spent 3 days at the Vernissage of the 2016 Sydney Biennale. We spent hours and hours each day walking and looking at artworks which was both exhausting and exhilarating. I've divided our viewing into 2 posts which just feature a few of the works I enjoyed the most. I'm not going to write too much about them, just shorts notes about the artist and a little about the work as a bit of a memory marker for me.Our first stop was the 'Embassy of Translation' which was housed in the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia on the waterfront."The Embassy of Translation revisits historical positions, concepts and artefacts by means of current technologies and working methods, and reconsiders them in the light of contemporary concerns. The works in this Embassy address the question of how we can use our access to the vast past to translate and re-contexuralise history."Rosenthal, S. (2016) The Guide. Sydney, Australia: Biennale of Sydney.I only recorded one work here; Céline Condorelli (2012-2013/2016) Structure for Communicating with the WindI enjoyed the idea of a device for communicating with the wind. The movement of the fabric plus the reflections onto the floor were silent and mesmerising.[embed]https://vimeo.com/160483551[/embed]We caught the ferry across the harbour to the 'Embassy of The Real' on Cockatoo Island. The island itself was very interesting, being both an ex penal colony and shipbuilding yard, so the buildings and overall feel of the island is unusual. We had a look around the large industrial buildings first."The Embassy of the Real poses a question central to the Biennale: If each era posits a different view of reality, what is ours?"Rosenthal, S. (2016) The Guide. Sydney, Australia: Biennale of Sydney.Lee Bul (2016) Willing To Be VulnerableKorean artist Lee Bul works with large scale, immersive installations. her site specific work on Cockatoo island deals with the memories, dreams and aspirations of humanity. This was one of many site-specific installations we saw at the Biennale. I really appreciated the artists' use of space and site for the works shown on Cockatoo Island.William Forsythe (2013) Nowhere and Everywhere at the Same Time No.2We had a lot of fun with the William Forsythe work. Below is a video of Justine running through the moving pendulums. This work was originally developed to be part of a choreography performed by a dancer. In this case the work is activated by the viewers.[embed]https://vimeo.com/160483550[/embed]Chiharu Shiota (2009/2016) Flowing WaterChiharu Shiota has constructed her installation Flowing Water within old prisoner barracks. The work explores the relationship between sleep and waking, between the body and the mind, the states of hypnogogia that are experienced between waking and sleeping. We spent time talking to the attendant who explained how long it took the multitude of assistants to create the work. The feeling within the work was cloying and unnerving with the black threads creating the illusion of a white mist - don't ask me how that works!Chiharu Shiota (2009/2016) Flowing WaterChiharu Shiota (2009/2016) Flowing WaterChiharu Shiota (2009/2016) Flowing WaterThere was a very engaging sound-based work by Cevdet Erek called "Room of Rhythms - Long Distance Relationship". I don't have any photos because it wasn't the kind of work that could be experienced visually. Within some ruining buildings on the island were large outdoors speakers pointing in different directions. As the participants moves around the site the rhythmic beat changes and morphs into new beats. It was very hot outside so we didn't spend as long with this work as we would have liked to.Bahrti Kher (2013-2015) Six WomenBahrti Kher's 'Six Women' are cast from real women, who are also sex workers, in her New Deli studio. The casts are incredibly poignant portraits that show up the subtle bodily characteristics of the women even when displayed in cold, white plaster. They had a natural weight and fleshiness that gave the impression they could move a hand or adjust their posture at any moment. When I walked behind the women and looked over their shoulders I got a sense of intruding into another persons personal space.Bahrti Kher (2013-2015) Six WomenBahrti Kher (2013-2015) Six WomenIn another sector of Cockatoo Island we found Emma McNally's 'Choral Fields' installation. These giant cartographic drawings were displayed on either side of a constructed angular runway on big display boards. McNally's works are described as inhabiting the overlap between the virtual realm and the physical world, of tracing the things that are sensed rather than seen. The works can be experienced as diagrams of data moving through unseen pathways, communicating between the real and virtual worlds.Emma McNally (2014-2016) Choral Fields 1-12Emma McNally (2014-2016) Choral Fields 1-12Emma McNally (2014-2016) Choral Fields 1-12