REVIEW: [EXXOPOLIS] by Architects of Air @ Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham

EXXOPOLIS by Architects of Air
Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham

In early June, the Lakeside Arts Centre in Nottingham hosted a lunimarium installation featuring latticework, and luminescent seams which create colours of light against iridescent hues to create an sensory immersive experience.

"A lunamarium is a sculpture people enter to be moved to a sense of wonder at the beauty of light and colour..."

Seeing EXXOPOLIS from the outside reminded me of a children's bouncing castle, the inflated plastic and children-friendly 'bounciness'. The true extraordinary spectrum of colour was concealed by an exterior of grey so it was hard to say what lay beyond. All visitors are asked to take their shoes off beforehand, and I wasn't surprised to see that most of the visitors were families with young children.

The images of EXXOPOLIS do not do the actual experience justice. The saturation of colour from space to space is so vivid and almost blinding in some cases, that it is only after your intital encounter with it that you become comfortable with the colours around you. The space is like a cave, divided by large coves that are led by a series of smaller tunnels and passageways that interlink every space together. Each space contains a colour, from green to red to blues. What surprised me was the intensity of the colour in each space, especially where one moves from one space to the next, the difference in hue is quite hard to negotiate in sight. Due to the nature of the material and the way EXXOPOLIS is made, it gives you a seamless impression, an enveloping series of colour and light that seems to invade from all sides. In some cases you need a few moments to adjust to the intensity before you are able to marvel and wonder at the otherworldiness of your environment.

"It is a paradox that that such a stimulating environment can simultaneously be so calming. Many people find the lunimaria a place for rest or meditation."

I found I began to wander aimlessly, from space to space, in circles, back and forth. The whole space became rather meditative, soothing, almost like the lull of waves. There was something very organic about the space, not only in its aesthetics, but in the way the colours blended and followed seamlessly from one space to the next. There was a certain ambience about it, and visitors were encouraged to lie down, sit, and generally take their time in the space. There were areas made specifically like small refuges, where you found people curled up inside, sprawled out on their backs or tucked up staring at the ceiling. I observed the way in which people interacted with the space. Obviously there were many kids running around, and their method of responding to the space was a buzz of activity, running round, hiding, laying down and every other possible activity you can imagine. To some extent I did feel like a child again, amongst other children, walking just as blindly into a space I'd never seen.

I did take the opportunity to sit down, but if anything I felt this didn't feel as good as walking did. By travelling continuously through the space, I had a better sense of the colour, light and overall atmosphere that was created. Once you are static, you become more accustomed to the elements around you, and it loses its initial wonder. I found that by consistently allowing myself to explore the same spaces again and again, the vividness and power of my surroundings were just as fresh each time. In particularly with EXXOPOLIS, it felt like a mode of transporting the viewer to a completely alien space. It created a bubble effect, that everything encaspulated within this bubble was so heightened and pleasurable, that as you leave everything else looks dull in comparison and you have an overwhelming urge to return.

I am always glad to see any interactive arts that aim to involve the general public, as they bring a new perspective to how these pieces are viewed, but more importantly these artworks are simply able to be enjoyed by a wider audience. They involve the senses and human response, which anybody can relate to and experience. Architects of Air certainly didn't disappoint in this instance, it was immaculately constructed, effortless yet effective. I could have pondered on and lingered for hours if I had the choice, it was a very pleasant experience.

It's difficult to say what to categorise this as. The artists themselves call this a sculpture, if it had been in a gallery it may even be installation. But it can certainly be called a work of architecture too, the work and detail gone into constructing this space by hand is not an easy one.

There are obvious artists like James Turrell who specify their practice within the crossovers of science and art. It is a curious thing to think that James Turrell's work fits perfectly into the scope of art enthusiasts, where EXXOPOLIS was see mostly by the public, not the usual art-goers. The ideas certainly centre around similiar interests and concepts of light and visual perception.

EXXOPOLIS in short is simply captivating; a really enticing and memorable immersive space that filled me with wonder and intrigue. The basic art of light is something that never fails to surprise.

Find out more here: www.architects-of-air.com