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SK-INTERFACES

By Editor-in-Chief ⋅ February 25, 2008 ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

MISPLACED EARS, THERMO WALLS AND HOMEGROWN VIRGINITIES

Paul Eccles and Lizzy O’Connor

Modern art can often be quite a stuffy and inaccessible affair, but perhaps not when it includes a wall that changes colour when you put your hands/face/derrière on it. The new sk-interfaces exhibition claims to be ‘exploding borders in art, technology and society’. The main exhibit involves a film of artist Stelarc undergoing surgery to attach an ear-shaped scaffold to his forearm. This attempt to bridge the gap between technology and biology, although intriguing, is not for the faint hearted. Stelarc originally wanted to have the ear grafted to the side of his face, was warned that it may cause paralysis. Also his girlfriend had some objections. She was fully supportive of the ear on the arm however, so on he went with the experiment.

The exhibition pamphlet claims that Julia Reodica’s art raises questions at the threshold of cultural value systems. Her piece, test-tube grown hymens manufactured from the artist’s own vaginal tissue, may seem slightly ridiculous, but is highly successful at communicating these ideas, shaping them into symbols representing tribes and cultures that put a high price on virginity. Aside from culturing the designer hymens, Reodica presents them in ornate gift boxes, available for sale to art collectors as ‘novelty items’. Although we appreciated the conceptual significance of the little boxes of chastity being made available for sale, it does raise the question of when and why one would purchase such an item. Perfect Valentine’s Day gift? We thought so.

Whilst walking between the two galleries we hit an artistic wall. Literally. Zane Berzina’s ‘Touch Me’ wall is simply a corridor painted in different shades of thermochromic inks which respond to a variety of skin temperatures, each with their own physiological meaning. On a more juvenile level, it serves as an interactive toy on which visitors can leave their (temporary) mark on the exhibition.

Ends 30 March. FACT. (It is a fact but it is also on at FACT)