World Without End - Acmi Exhibition

World without end - ACMI Exhibition

The first thing notable about "World without end" is the dark feel of the exhibition. Going down the escalator, all visible light disappears. This would be for several reasons. Most of the works are projected, and for projectors to work effectively, they need to avoid other light sources. Also, leaving lights off achieves an eerie atmosphere, and a sense of mystery.

The exhibition is set out like a long hall, with some displays curtained off, creating sections within the space. I found I got a bit lost when looking for certain displays. This could have been avoided if they supplied a map with the pamphlet. Another problem with the layout was the sound. Each display had its own soundtrack, and these seemed to clash with each other. Sitting at one display, you could hear the sound from several others. This was evident only in sections where the displays were not curtained off, however.

The work I was most interested in was Hold: Vessel 1 by Lynette Wallworth. This display was curtained off from the rest of the exhibition. It involves the viewer taking a supplied glass bowl, and holding it under one of three projected light beams. The sound comes from several surrounding speakers, creating a 3d atmospheric, using a series of peculiar sound effects and music tracks. The light feels like it is "caught" in the glass bowl, and the imagery is constantly changing, both in style, and colour.

The fact that this display required viewer participation made it stand out to me. Instead of just sitting back and watching the display, I was able to involve myself in it. Also, being curtained off made it feel like its own exhibition. You had to enter via a narrow passage, and the room was completely self contained, blocking noise from other displays. I believe Lynette Wallworth has been successful in entertaining the audience with her work.

A display that I believe does not achieve this success is Tide by Luke Jerram. This involves three glass bowls filled with water, and a gravity measuring device. As the earth spins, the distance from the display to the moon changes, and a difference in gravity is detected via the unit. This info is then relayed to the three bowls, and the water level changes accordingly. Also, a sound generated by friction changes pitch.

The downfall of this display is its speed. The earth