▽ INHOSPITABLE LANDSCAPE @ WCS

Inhospitable Landscape brings the outside, inside with its large-scale installation, which entirely consumes the exhibition space. In a reaction against the biennial’s theme of Hospitality it explores the uncomfortable and inhospitable facets of social and cultural landscapes. Upon entering the space, notions of fairytales and literature pervaded my mind; an abundance of small trees and foliage adorn the dimly lit space. Fallen leaves and earth cover the ground. Video installations are dotted ambiguously throughout the greenery, suggesting a juxtaposition of technology and nature, or the artificial and the natural. As the viewer meanders through the disarray of branches and foliage, eventually reaching the back of the exhibition space they come to a rather interesting area that could almost be an allusion to the renowned tea party scene within Alice and Wonderland - a long dinning-room table, lamp and chair fill this area. I found this area particularly entrancing – there was something both haunting and beautiful about it; the light produces a particularly seductive effect through the trees when one is relatively distant from it. What was most strange was that there was something almost vaguely familiar about the piece; I knew I had seen it somewhere before, in a film perhaps. It seems somewhat possible, however, that it had resonated with something, which had long before existed within my imagination but I have, until present, been significantly aware of.

What is also worth mentioning is the music that accompanied the piece. It was very mystical and atmospheric sounding. It therefore adhered stylistically to the visual aspect of the piece and consequentially became integral to it. Though I thought the video installations, which were distributed throughout the piece, looked extremely effective and emphasised the atmospheric feel of the piece, I was honestly quite reluctant to notice them, as I have come across far too many video installations throughout the duration of this biennial. Most of the video installations I have seen tend to be constructed from randomised images that play in loops, which seem to lack any degree of narrative or story telling. However, the video installations within this piece were not the complete work, they were only a small part of it; therefore, they did not ruin my experience by any measure.

Interestingly, the exhibition has its own ‘inhospitable library’, which is made up of books that inspired the curators during the production of the exhibition. Visitors can borrow a book from the library for a small cost, which in turn denotes the interactive nature of the exhibition even further. Being able to interact with the piece and to tangibly experience it creates a more memorable experience, whether it be good or bad. Getting tangled and caught within branches and foliage may have been an irritating experience to some of my peers, but this kind of physical contact with art undoubtedly leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.

I was actually rather reluctant to leave the space, and interestingly, others were too. It is possible that the space recalled a part of our childhoods that growing into adults we have albeit lost touch with – a space that captures the imagination, which lacks the systematic and authoritative atmosphere of the typical established gallery space. Thus, it may be that utilising exhibition spaces in creative ways may be the key to engaging audiences more competently, as this certainly proved the case amongst my peers and myself during this exhibition visit.