‘So captivating’
Visitors to the Confederation Centre Art Gallery lose themselves in ‘Suspended’, the centrepiece of Philippa Jones’ exhibition, ‘Perpetual’
Gallery-goers are getting upclose and personal with a unique exhibition that has been drawing plenty of attention this summer at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery.
Entitled "Perpetual", it consists of recent works by Phillipa Jones, a St. John’s-based artist. Featuring a variety of mediums, it's the exhibition's centrepiece - entitled “Suspended” – that is getting all the attention.
And for good reason. “Suspended” consists of four gold-leaf benches surrounded by an array of hanging resin orbs, each of them containing plant or animal life preserved for future examination.
What’s different about this work, however, is how it’s viewed. Instead of passively observing it, gallery-goers are also invited to become part of the art by lying down on the benches (provided) and looking up into the sparkling orb mobile that falls from the ceiling.
To do so, is proving to be a beautiful experience.
“I absolutely love this piece and that quiet, underwater feeling you get when sitting inside of it,” says Tamara Steel, who stopped by to view "Suspended" on Monday. “The suspended orbs are so captivating; I find something new every time I look at them.”
Summerside photographer Arlene Giddings liked the work so much she came back twice to take in the wonder of it all.
“It’s magical and meditative. I felt that I was spellbound.
“It literally took my breath away. I spent at least half an hour just lost in the details and colours and reflected light; the mesmerizing suspension and
the gently swaying, spinning silence.”
Giddings also took time to lie on each of the couches and look into the orbs.
“When I left, I felt calm and really happy. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time.”
In the end, the only reason she left the bench was that others were waiting their turn.
In fact, the experience is becoming so popular that the gold leaf is starting to wear off the benches as gallery-goers lie down and look up into the sparkling mobile that falls down from an eight-sided frame, says curator Pan Wendt.
“The piece is designed to give evidence of its use. That’s because we’ve had a busy audience with this show.”
The stunning work has been an absolute hit, especially with young people.
“They are taking photos for social media when they visit. It’s possibly our most popular exhibition online — ever,” says Fraser McCallum, communication manager for the Confederation Centre, adding that many people have been taking selfies next to “Suspended”, which have been showing up in dozens of images on the gallery’s Instagram page in recent weeks.
Jones was inspired to create the pieces in “Perpetual” following the death of her best friend, curator Mary MacDonald, an enthusiastic artist supporter who died in 2017 at the age of 32.
“Phillipa’s work was quite strong, and it felt urgent to me,” Wendt says of the mixed media exhibition.
Death is a difficult subject, he adds, and all her works are about it. But they don’t deal with it in a strictly depressing way since she wanted to do a show that was therapeutic both for her and also for viewers.
That’s because the exhibition touches on the spiritual.
“It deals with questions like what happens to the body when it does,” says Wendt. “She makes beautiful images but, if you look closely, you’ll see (different things.)”