Perhaps Nothing, Perhaps Something

"Minimalism is a medium in which the form is daringly reduced to next-to-nothing. Yet there's another art form, represented here, in which the subject is so condensed it points to a haunting vacuity. The human psyche abhors a vacuum, and is automatically inclined to people absences with imagined presences. Rachel Whiteread's sculptures, with their cast solidification of in-between places, fit the role perfectly. House and home are also exploded in a piece by Cornelia Parker, a suspended composition of bricks eroded by the sea. And, as always, Paul Rooney charms with his sound meditations on the poetics of boredom" 

(Clark, R. (2009) Exhibition preview: Perhaps Nothing, Perhaps Something, Leeds. www.guardian.co.uk. Online on 3/04/09) 

I went down to the Leeds Met Gallery to see the Perhaps Nothing, Perhaps Something show. A lot of people have commented on it, and how it felt a bit pretentious, but I didn't think so. I was a bit surprised at the way I was told, very forcefully that I was not to touch because the work was very fragile, to which I said "Yes, of course" but to which I felt like saying "Well yes, I'm not completely stupid".  But then I thought, maybe it's not obvious you can't touch this work, after all, Rachel Whiteread's 'Untitled (6 Spaces) are very sturdy looking resin which look, and seem as though you should be able to sit on them, and Parker's suspended piece 'Neither from nor Towards' looks fairly sturdy (although my first comment was "imagine what a nightmare it would be if all the strings got tangled!")

Cornelia Parker - "Neither From nor Towards"

Rachel Whiteread - "Untitled" (Six Spaces)

As for the aesthetic appeal of the gallery I wasn't particularly impressed. The front of the shelves had been taped messily, and the wooden dowels holding Paul Rooney's sound piece "Words and Silence" were wonky and uneven.  Obviously I can understand that this is a gallery in a university, not the Tate Modern, but they are showing well known works from prestigious artists and I didn't feel they were shown off in the way they deserved to be. 

Paul Roony - 'Words and Silence' 

I wondered weather it would really matter if any if the pieces of work were touched. I would be quite interested to see what happened to Whiteread's piece was made interactive, and the audience were allowed to sit on it, or run their hand over the top surface. 

I really loved  Chris Wright's work 'This is the place where', which is 5 photographic lights shining onto one point on the floor. The Leeds Met Publication  says:

"There is something missing in Chris Wright's work This is the place where. Photographic lights are normally used to highlight a subject or product to make it seem more appealing. The fact that these lights are set up for that purpose but are then thwarted by not having a subject explores the value of nothing in a commodity led society. The circle of light works in a sculptural way, the viewer can enter the space but there is a perceived barrier, an in between space."

Paul Rooney - 'This is the place where'

 I was really struck by the "perceived barrier" that appears around the work. I felt really awkward standing in the circle of light, almost like I had climbed on top of a sculpture and jumped up and down on it. It was a bit disconcerting to feel this awkward when standing  in what is essentially just a spotlight. There was a couple standing looking at the piece with me, and when I stepped into the light, the woman's intake of breath said quite clearly that she expected lazer beams to shoot across the room and arms security to start swarming around me. It was intersting to view a piece of interactive art that involves to physical touching, no leaving a mark or contributing to the work. My presence didn't affect the work at all, but the reaction of the audience and the awkwardness of not knowing whether or not you could step into the light became much more important than the work itself.