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Photo by David Mitchell
The Exhibit
Comprised of two cars, two taxidermy deer, three channels of projected video, multiple channels of audio, and MIDI controlled lighting, all operating on a 10 minute synced loop is entitled ‘Red Hearts / Black Tongues’. Standing in a fog filled room the connection between these elements slowly becomes clear as they work together to form one major interactive exhibit to include the viewer as both participant and witness in the artwork.
Unlike the Op Art Revisited Exhibit at the Albright Knox Art Gallery where the interaction was limited to the visual tricks of kinetic optical illusion, this exhibition included physical interaction. The patron who typically gazes with either adulation or revoltion is now a part of the exhibit. As one’s eyes travel from the mangled cars displayed in the foreground to the strategically place deer in the middle ground, the participants gaze is then fixated on a driving scene unfolding on two projection screens. All the while it is impossible not to notice the frighteningly loud sounds emanating through the speakers and the pulsating floor reverberations’. Unique? Yes! A bit scary? Yes! Did these “dream machines” drive home Mitchell’s point? Yes!
The Final Verdict
Upon experiencing ‘Red Hearts / Black Tongues’ and drawing the connections between the artists words it became apparent that this was about awareness. Or, rather, lack of awareness. Not only did Mitchell rely on sensory overload through the various layers of stimuli he executed it in such a way as to put the gallery patron right smack in the middle of it all; literally making them participant….even if unwilling. Unconventional, cool, fun and…not an easy thing to pull off.
What of his motive? He proved his point. Our automobiles’ not only transport us physically but they also transport all the other layers of our being as well. With our minds focused on “to do” lists, ears tuned into cell phone conversations, hands gripped on lattes, mouths concentrated on chewing a fast meal and our sights fixated anywhere but the road…we are as a society that is, all too often, not present.
In the end, Mitchell’s exhibit is ingenious, unexpected and appropriate for modern day culture.
WAIT! Don't go! Did you miss Part I of this article? Then, click here.
~Desiree Cruz-Nevilles
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