Art Installation Review @ Arts by the Sea Festival
This year’s theme for Arts by the Sea festival was 'Mind Matter'. As part of the festival’s focus on mental health, Ithaca studios, as associate artists at the festival and returning for their third year, created a festival-first for guests who just sometimes need their own space. As you entered a personal pod you were enveloped in an immersive cocoon of sound and light, in a unique and innovative experience. Arts by the Sea gave Ithaca the time and space to develop these amazing new pods. Through this talent development scheme, the festival offered support in many areas including mentoring, marketing, and the provision of materials, which allowed the artist’s vision to become a reality. The associate artist's award has allowed Ithaca Studio to develop a brand new, immersive installation – Cocoon – allowing festival goers to enjoy their own personal light and sound pod experience. Ithaca Studio are famous for Creative Sound & Light Art.
Other memorable works include the 'Sea of Light: GlasGLOW 2018'
After speaking with the artist himself, Chris, he explained that this was the first time 'the cocoon' had been in the public eye and the festival was used as a trial run. I can only describe them as tent-like swings, with lights and speakers inside the paneling. They were rigged up on a beautiful wooden frame with the electrics connected to a generator with the wiring hidden under leaves on the ground.
My first impressions of the cocoons were that they looked incredibly comfortable to lie in, using acrylic canvas and marine sail cloth, with a metal hoop stitched into the base. Inside were 4 cushions so you could prop your head up. LED lighting lined the inside and outside on foam panels that were stitched into the material along with the speakers. A bigger speaker attached to the wooden framing directed into the pod creating more sound.
The visuals were created to move in time with the audio. They complemented each other wonderfully on a 5 minute loop. The lights changed direction, colour and opacity. The sounds were that of the rain forest, birds and all different instruments.
Once inside you could relax, switch off and be taken on a journey into your imagination. As the loop continued the lights flickered softly different colours and the music was gentle and calming. Towards the end you knew it was time to leave when the lights flickered all red, 3 times and the sounds moved into a Crescendo, giving quite a scary feel. It then came to a natural end. I got out of the cocoon feeling relaxed and my mind was clear. It certainly lent itself to the theme of 'Mind Matter' at the festival this year. I felt that Ithaca really pulled off the theme of mental health as it really helped my mental state after being in there, as I heard it did with other people after speaking with members of the public to find out their view. I would want to see these as installations in festivals for people to enjoy. They are not only aesthetic to the eye, they blend in with nature and the whole concept is amazing. A thought I did have was that it would be an amazing sensory installation for special needs children and adults. I heard quite a few people commenting that also.
There were some areas I feel the artist could improve the installation if he were to take it to be used at a festival or even sell them as a product used by the public. I worked at the festival from Friday until Sunday, and saw a lot of people come and use the pods which caused a lot of wear and tear. The material maybe needed to be reinforced with something thicker, possibly double lining as by the end of the weekend, the front where people had been climbing in and out had ripped either side. The metal hoop base inside had popped out at the front also. Although the artist had provided rules for the public to abide by on a blackboard, of keeping feet outside the pod, some didn't read them, thus causing muddy feet inside the pod's cream material. To get round this I would have gone for a different colour material for the base, such as different greens and browns to camouflage into the trees they were surrounded by.
Overall the piece was an eye catching, sensory masterpiece, especially at night time!
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