Alternative Media Group

EXHIBITION: A RINGING GLASS (RILKE)

Author:

Amelia G

Posted:

Tuesday, 9 June 2009

Ken Unsworth’s use of suspended objects has become a signature motif in his long career as a performance, sculpture and instillation artist, but it takes on new significance in relation to death, specifically the recent passing of his wife, to whom his latest project A Ringing Glass (Rilke) is in honour of.

From a skeleton hanging upside down to a hospital bed afloat in space to a grand piano exploded into pieces hovering above us – nothing in the series of instillations is earth bound. Suspended in the air, it is uncertain whether the inanimate objects are in the process of rising or falling, and with this quality of transcendence they provide an extensive momento mori, reminding us of the mortality of ourselves and all things.

The various rooms can be seen as different chapters of the life of Elisabeth, who was an accomplished pianist and a driving force in Ken’s career for the 54 years they were married. “After the death of her son from a brain tumour at age 33 Elisabeth set up a fellowship in his name for young medical researchers and she was always happy to be able to talk about him,” the artist said. “I feel the same way about her; she was such an important part of my life and I want to acknowledge and remember that.”

The tribute to Elisabeth’s life extends beyond the four instillations to the lived experience of a decadent event which was hosted by Unsworth to open the exhibition on Cockatoo Island. In a custom built ballroom, 160 guests were invited to dine, dance, watch performances and listen to a posthumous piano recital by Elisabeth, and footage from the night is being screened in the space for the duration of the exhibition.

While it’s billed as a site-specific instillation, the white walled rooms have been built within the island’s dramatic and cavernous Turbine Hall in a way that doesn’t really incorporate the space at all. Over the last 12 months Cockatoo Island has established itself as a unique gem of an arts venue (particularly with the ‘08 Sydney Biennale and the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in January), and it seems a curious choice to stage A Ringing Glass in claustrophobic rooms that could belong to any conventional gallery space – but none the less the project marks quite a comeback from an important Australian artist who has been out of the limelight for several years.

A Ringing Glass (Rilke) is open to the public free until June 28.

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