Entangled Worlds - Collingwood Yards
For four nights (and four nights only) Collingwood Yards was the home to Entangled Worlds, a Melbourne Fringe Festival activation by the Centre for Projection Arts. Curated by Yandell Walton, the event put the site into a new light (pun intended). I spent the night looking up, around, and all over in pursuit of the ephemeral artworks. The exhibition put a spotlight on the Centre’s Art Residency program, with all eleven of the featured artists either currently taking part or alumni of the program.
The exhibition felt like an invitation to explore, traipse down hallways, glass of wine in hand, in search of all of the works. There was no map (that I could find), leading to spending most of the night enjoying the hunt as much as the art itself. There are pitfalls to this- I’m only 80% sure I got to see everything that was on display (and it has taken me a week to be sure I’ve identified the artists correctly- sorry Bec).
The large scale projections, taking up entire sides of buildings were the most apparent, and an intoxicating introduction to the event. Rebecca Nadjowski’s purple and green images projected onto the stairwell fell into each other, looping over and over. J. Rosenbaum’s lush, almost Grecian statues felt more flesh than marble, even on the side of a brick building. The bodies were undulating, leading me to pause and just stare, fully absorbed in the movement and colour of the work.
Directly across from Hope St Radio was a projection that morphed from hands to faces to bodies and back. This is the work that drew me back in again and again. Hands are so intimate, an intimacy maintained even at this scale while they grasp, reach, writhe, and gesture. The projection held me there, capturing my imagination wondering who was being reached for, or what.
Hidden away down hallways and ramps were the works of Ariel Ruby and Jen Valender. Ruby’s work was an electric altar. Mirrors, windows, and sand made full use of the hallway space the work was displayed in. Playing not just with the architecture of the building (with the illuminated red windows) but with the height of the ledge, the mirrors made you part of the art. In looking at the projection you became part of the piece, unable to remove yourself from the work should you wish to fully appreciate it. Valender’s work was down a ramp, projected onto closed doors, flanked by a florist and graffiti. Projecting a harpist filmed from all angles in a stark, moody landscape, the freedom of the work was given tension by the intimate, unexpected setting it was on show in. My friend and I joined a group fully enraptured by the projection, talking quietly about how they could bring themselves to leave before they were sure they had fully taken in the work.
Entangled Worlds was one of my favourite Friday night endeavours recently. Dedicating a night to art, but also to good friends and good wine was a great way to appreciate an art landmark of Melbourne (Collingwood Yards), but also to kick off Melbourne Fringe. Going through the works and the space, I was reminded of how much we as the viewer become part of the exhibition when it comes to site specific works and activations. Stand two metres to the left and your experience changes, come back to it a while later and the light has changed, altering your focus in the work.
Entangled Worlds was on at Collingwood Yards from October 2 to 5. It featured the works of: Ariel Ruby, Ben Joseph Andrews and Emma Roberts, Jen Valender, J. Rosenbaum, Max Brading, Melania Jack, Rebecca Najdowski, and Shirin Shakhesi.