Dans le jardin des beaux arts, 2000 (In the garden of fine arts) Installation view: Left to Right: Dans le jardin des beaux arts (the snail forms), Stars for feet, (transparency of child's foot) Video compilation, Grains of Salt, Virtue of the Rose (small objects on the back wall), A Tangled Tale (on right wall), Certain Measures (sticks on the table), detail of a work on the right by Sarah Buist. In the exhibition: Korero korero, Sarjeant Gallery, W(h)anganui, New Zealand / Aotearoa, 2000. An installation of 19 snail forms by Jacqueline Wassen, Sen McGlinn and Sonja van Kerkhoff, in a wing of the Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui / Wanganui, Aotearoa / New Zealand. I was unsure of the facilities in the gallery half-way across the globe. And then in consultation with Jacqueline and Sen, we decided that it would be an interesting challenge to bring art which was intended to work as part of a process with the public. Art that seemed to hang around waiting (lying in this case) to be brought to life. At the same time we wanted the work to be fun or easy for a general public to relate to and so we chose the 'common snail' as our mascot. The flat snail silhouttes could be seen to symbols the snail self or the shadow (simula) of snails in all forms and sizes. Above: On the Left are two works from the adjacent exhibition: "Who Am I? - Art and Belief" and you can see that a few snails have escaped from the wing of our exhibition: "Korero, korero". The spiralling texts on the black surfaces were also important. Not just to help the audience to engage with the forms but to create a feeling of the poetic, metaphorical or just plain fun. Installation view: Dans le jardin des beaux artes On each snail form a text spirals inwards. So the walls were intentionally left fairly empty with just a few postcards or small objects hanging here and there. During the two month exhibition, members of the public drew images or added words as a result of workshops done with Sonja around the snails. text to come... Installation view: Dans le jardin des beaux artes (detail showing 3 snail forms) Still from the video Wrapping for a Marginal Citizen Other locations for this work and works related to this theme Colonising Oxford with snails, (installation): in Oxford, U.K., October 2002. Dans le jardin des beaux arts, (installation): in Taller, France, August 2001. Dans le jardin des beaux artes, (installation/performance): in Artots Gallery, Den Bosch, The Netherlands, May - June 2001. Dans le jardin des beaux arts, (installation): in a ARS AEMULA NATURAE courtyard, Leiden, May - June 2001. Dans le jardin des beaux arts: about the art project involving 40 invited artists, a mail art project and the performance "the gifts of time" in the ARS AEMULA NATURAE courtyard, Leiden, May - June 2001. Korero korero, (the residency exhibition): exhibition including the "dans le jardin des beaux arts" installation, in the Sarjeant Gallery, W(h)anganui, New Zealand, July - August 2000. Dans le jardin des beaux arts: the installation of 19 snail forms in the Sarjeant Gallery, W(h)anganui, July - August 2000. Dans le jardin des beaux arts: 'workshops' with members of the public, W(h)anganui, 2000. Walking the Snails, (performance): with the 19 snail forms down the War Memorial Steps in W(h)anganui, New Zealand, August 2000. The Snails enroute, (performance/installation): the Kuala Lumpa transit lounge, June 2000. Order the book: This artist book is about the Dans le jardin des beaux arts installations and performances in W(h)anganui and New Zealand (May 2001) Info about the interactive element of this project: Interactive adventures incorporating art by some of the artists in the Leiden show as well as video clips from the installations and performances in various locations. the medium c.v. last things first