PICA’s Summer Exhibitions will feature three diverse screen and sound-based works created by Australian and international artists leading in these fields. These works will be available for viewing during gallery hours from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Friday until Sunday, April 19.
Immersive screen, virtual reality and gaming-inspired experiences will occupy the PICA galleries until mid-April with works by Sydney-based Tina Havelock Stevens (Thunderhead) (pictured above); internationally renowned artist and musician Laurie Anderson and Taiwanese new media artist Hsin-Chien Huang (Chalkroom) and New York City’s Jacky Connolly (Hudson Valley Ruins).
Pioneering artist and musician Laurie Anderson and Taiwanese new media artist’s Hsin-Chien Huang’s Chalkroom is a virtual reality (VR) experience unlike any other. Rendered from hand-written text, gestures and chalk marks, this is a world where the power and impression of words, lyrics, stories and text reigns. Allow yourself to roam through the corridors and pathways of words, accompanied by Anderson’s unmistakable and indelible voice. There will be no pre-bookings for Chalkroom to allow as many visitors as possible to experience this memorable VR work.
Throughout the exhibition period, a Chalkroom-inspired art activity will also be available in the PICA Reading Room for all ages to enjoy. This magnetic wall of words will be a space for reflection and play, in collaboration with Perth Festival and with support from the City of Perth and Wesfarmers Arts.
Havelock Stevens’ moving image works depict emotional and physical landscapes and dwells on sites that are often empty or abandoned. Her sensibilities as a filmmaker and a musician create suspended moments that speak of survival and fragility. Her solo exhibition Thunderhead offers a series of video works accompanied by improvised sound scores – sometimes recorded, sometimes performed live. These viscera installations act as a channel for emotions and histories that reside in built and natural landscapes.
Hudson Valley Ruins is a short narrative film produced entirely in the computer game The Sims 3. Using the conventions of the game, in which players simulate the lives of a modern family, Jacky Connolly has created a complete set, narrative and cast of characters. This piece tracks the unsettling experiences of two young female characters as they navigate the banal, tense and quietly disturbing world of suburban Upstate New York. Combining conventions of gothic horror with the domestic melodrama, Connolly has created a noir film for the digital era.
PICA’s Summer Exhibitions will feature three works by Tina Havelock Stevens, Laurie Anderson, Hsin- Chien Huang and Jacky Connolly from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Friday until Sunday, April 19.
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