beyond the beyond.pica

installation | Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts | Perth | Australia | 2011

Beyond the beyond. pica is inspired by the Australian native plant, the grasstree—that is neither a tree nor a grass. The artist was attracted by the slow growth of grasstrees, spectacular figures and the multi-relations between the land, the plant and the human.

The work is developed and explored through the state of being between lightness and darkness/heaviness. It combines several different elements that relate to the subtle and open relationships between senses and of time, being, and space. The elements include suspended black hand-felted fabric, dried leaves, charcoal and resin from a grasstree, and ash from a agnihotra ceremony. These elements are associated with sound, smell, and light. The space-time work reflects a timeless state of being in atmosphere, slowness and contemplation as well as evoking awareness and being.

The space is about 8m x 7m x 4m with three tall windows and 2 rows of 3 parallel fluorescent light tubes. Twelve 1.6m x 2.8m pieces of thin hand-made black felt are suspended from both sides of each of the light tubes.  As one row of light is on and the other row off, the transparent texture of one row of felt is seen and the other row appears more solid. One row of felt captures the light and directs it in a thin strip onto the wall and floor and affects the shadow of the other row of felt on the other side of wall and floor; light and shadow cross on the floor.

One of windows is half open, sometimes a breeze comes through that affects the subtle movement of hanging felt and the subtle movement of light and shadow. During the day, the natural light mixes with the tube light on the wall and ceiling. Lots of long, thin, dried grasstree leaves lie on the floor. People are invited to walk through the space, which creates sound.

In the corner where a fire place used to be, a light box gives off heat to melt grasstree resin, giving a unique smell and amazing red reflections. The smell stays in the space, even the whole building after a while. A small pile of charcoal taken from a burned grasstree sits on the windowsill under one window. Under the window on the other end of the sill sits a small pile of ash from an agnihotra ceremony held during sunrise.