Appearing Rooms
Jeppe Hein (Denmark)
Thursday 11 February 2010
Like many site-specific, social-practice sculptural installations, Appearing Rooms invites audience members to enter, participate, and engage directly with it and each other. Water jets shoot up and create four distinct square rooms made up of 12 water walls, which appear and disappear creating a constantly changing environment in which to move. Held in a room at times like a jail cell, the walls suddenly collapse allowing escape and entry into another room, where the same cycle but different relationships begin and end. The interaction between participants is what is most interesting; some are left behind, teased, caught in between, tormented by the wait for a wall to drop, inspired to jump over walls as they emerge, or successfully dodge parents who are unwilling to get themselves wet.
Who doesn’t want to play in a fountain? Hands down, a soaking wet Jury is a happy Jury.
Hein’s Smoking Bench also deserves special mention.
