I was so enamoured with the psycho buildings exhibition I decided to write another blog about it. However I am going to move on from my slight over excitement about the rowing boats and concentrate on the other aspects of the show, which were also outside and just as exciting. Firstly ‘Observatory, Air-port-City’ a colossal transparent dome, created by Tomas Saraceno. What a marvel, this is an ongoing work that sees
Tomas trying to create floating metropolises. However you are placed in a lottery (another part of the interactivity which I highly commend) and if you succeed in choosing the correct ping pong ball you are allowed to go up the stairs and float in the higher observatory, and what an experience it is. Firstly you are taken in by the panorama, secondly you are taken by the sensation that you are dropping! As they open the doors to let people in and out of the sphere below you the pressure drops and so does your heart, as you fear the worst. The when you look downwards you realise that you are reflected in the floor, and perceptually you are floating in this space. As you start to relax you find your mind wandering. All I can think about is what a great club this would make, a nice relaxing bar with dance floor below. You may have few spilt drinks
but who cares!

Next up on my tour is ‘Venetian, Atmospheric’ a beautifully crafted 30 seat cinema, with beautifully crafted walls and ceiling, however on the outside there is just a tarpaulin and
some scaffolding. Even more exciting is the breath and quality of the show reel., with such illustrious artist as Gordon Matta-Clark and Gregor Schneider, giving an insight into their practice through another medium. I must mention Do Ho Suh’s ‘Staircase – V’. His use of space is unassumingly perfect, and the tiny details round off the experience fully. I especially enjoyed the tension of the material. Your expectation is that it would be loose, however its rigidity when sculpted makes it even more interesting. Last but no means least Mike Nelson’s extremely violent two rooms where he has taken an axe to the walls and ceiling. It seems as if an animal has been trying to escape from an
impending doom. Scratching for its life. It seems this way because of the height of the markings, and the sharp edge of the axe looks like a claw mark. This piece must have taken hours to prepare, and is extremely effective. Again Hayward I applaud your gamble and production of a truly visceral show that was no holes barred, rollercoaster
ride. Even the dire aspects of the show only highlighted the brilliant parts.