I've just come home from seeing the Cildo Meireles exhibition at the Tate Modern – it was incredible! Despite crowds to rival the toilets at Glastonbury the visceral influence of the artwork was still noticeable.
With the exception of the restricted pieces there were at least 15 other people in each artwork, all interacting with the elements of the work. Invigilators were frantically running around trying to stop viewers from touching the certain elements that were not meant to be moved. It was chaos! There were hour long queues to enter the two restricted pieces, Volatile and Red Shift which meant that I only managed to see the latter of the two. Typically, this meant that the experience could not live up to the wait but it was fascinating to watch people playing in the enclosure-like areas whilst waiting in line.
As well as reminding me how powerful dramatic lighting can be, this exhibition renewed my enthusiasm for installation and, more specifically, semiotics. Now I just need to force myself to stay in the studio when its colder in there than outside so I can finish (and start!) the piece I have been thinking since early December!
Continuing the positive thinking towards an arty 2009, the Arts Council have confirmed that Beacon will receive funding for the East Midlands Venice Biennale Pavilon in time! It's a huge relief, although it seems particularly cruel of them to have made us wait over Christmas for their answer. This means my internship should become much more challenging and exciting over the next few months! And most importantly, of course, I shall be holidaying in Italy this summer.
