Mark di Suvero work isn’t the only thing up on Governors Island this summer. Blue Morph is an interactive installation by Victoria Vesna that is taking over the St. Cornelius Chapel on Governors Island. Vesna’s work is part of the WAVE(form)s: Electronic Art Exhibition and was created in collaboration with nanoscientist Jim Gimzewski.
The morph is that of a butterfly, which you can see in the blue light on the large screen in the apse. The rather haunting sound that echoes through the chapel is meant to correspond to cellular changes in the butterfly as it emerges from its cocoon.
But the interactive element makes this installation really come to life. The participant sits on a blue disc that lights up, and places the white crochet hanging thing on his head. Suddenly the sounds are amplified in his ears and he has the best view of the piece in front of him. It soon becomes clear that if the person moves, the image on screen changes, or perhaps one could say distorts. It feels as if the participant is the heartbeat of the whole glowing exhibition.
The artist’s intention was to encourage stillness and silence, and only then can the participant watch the metamorphosis unhindered. I guess I was a little more entranced with myself when I experienced it than the artist intended. 😉 The installation is up through September 25 in the St. Cornelius Chapel on Governor’s Island. More on the background of Blue Morph here.
