Walking into the new exhibit at the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), visitors are immediately confronted with an enormous, canary-yellow structure. Large loops of fiberglass support rows of arena seating that extend to a few inches below the gallery's ceiling. People sit among the first three rows of these oversized bleachers, watching individuals and being watched in return. Rita McBride's "Arena" (1997) is a fitting opening to "The World as a Stage," on view at the ICA until April 27.
This new exhibit, organized by the Tate Modern in London, explores the idea of interaction between art and its spectators. This concept can be difficult to communicate in an intimate exhibit, and the difficulties are compounded in "The World as a Stage," which features 16 artists working in various media. While problems are inevitable in such a small exhibit, it flows freely for the most part, making for an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience.
While all the works included examine the role of the spectator, there is no other unifying factor. Visitors move from Andrea Fraser's video, "Little Frank and his Carp," which pokes fun at museums' often overbearing explanations, into a room created by Mario Ybarra, Jr. that resembles a barbershop ("Sweeney Tate," 2007) and encourages viewers to sit and gossip. Nearby is Cezary Bodzianowski's "Luna" (2005), a video that shows the artist attempting to stand in a fun-house wheel while wearing rollerblades.
In "Séance du Shadow II (bleu)" (1998) by Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, visitors play with light and shadow. Several motion-sensitive lights along the wall of a deep blue room cast viewers' shadows on the wall. Reactions to the piece range from references to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" to the making of shadow puppets. Visitors' responses to the pieces can be as interesting as the works themselves. As one viewer started to move the plywood platforms of Renata Lucas' "Falha" (2003), his friend admonished him, "Don't touch the exhibits!" In "Falha," participants move the platforms to create what becomes simultaneously a floor and a stage.
Some of the art featured does not involve interaction, but focuses on the idea of performance. Ulla von Brandenburg's monumental "Curtain" (2007) is meant to evoke the anticipation felt by an audience before the start of the play, and her video "Kugel" (2007) examines role-playing and voyeurism. Catherine Sullivan's video "The Chittendens: The Resuscitation of Uplifting" (2005) explores the nature of scripted action as opposed to improvisation. Markus Schinwald explores the role of the human body in a performance with his puppet "Bob" (2007).
Exhibiting art that stems from performance does have its difficulties, though, and the ICA does not completely escape them. Geoffrey Farmer's "Hunchback Kit" (2000-2008) would have lost its power were it not for the letter from the artist posted next to the wall text. Pawel Althamer's "Self-Portrait as a Businessman" (2002-2004) was a provocative performance in Berlin, but only the costume is displayed here, leaving the viewer feeling less than fulfilled.
Jeremy Deller's "Battle of Orgreave" (2001) is a compelling piece in which the artist organizes a reenactment of the historic battle of British mine strikers and police. He then created "Battle of Orgreave: Archive (An Injury to One is an Injury to All)" (2004) to complement the video. The piece is interesting and informative, but reads more as a history exhibit than a work of art.
The first room in the show contains the most interactive pieces in the exhibit. Joining "Arena" and "Falha" is Jeppe Hein's "Rotating Labyrinth" (2007). This piece is situated directly in front of McBride's bleachers, offering those seated a prime opportunity to watch the effect of Hein's innovative piece. Guests are invited to step onto a circular platform into a path surrounded on both sides by tall, slim mirrors spaced slightly apart that create disorienting visual effects. Those inside the piece see fragmented views of themselves and the rest of the gallery. Participants leave the piece in a slightly different location than where they entered, as the platform rotates slowly.
The presentation of these works should not be overlooked. The ICA does something notable in allowing viewers to interact with the pieces (though they do provide bold warnings to be careful). Much contemporary art is meant to physically involve the spectator, but often art institutions do not allow this, citing possible damage to a valuable work.
