Tag Archives: Plasticine

Norma Jeane #Jan25 at the Venice Biennale (Photos)

Description

One of the most powerful — and fun — exhibits I encountered at the 2011 Venice Biennale was by the alias Norma Jeane. It’s an interactive installation meant to break down and transform over time as visitors engage with it.  It started as a tidy block of plasticine in late May (see the picture below of how it started) in the colors of the Egyptian flag: black, white and red, and its title, #Jan25 (#Sidibouzid, #Feb12, #Feb14, #Feb17…) refers to some of the most popular hashtags on Twitter during recent Egyptian and Arab world uprisings. You can still make out some of the block in the pictures, but you can also see how complete and creative chaos have taken over the room. Visitors are encouraged to take apart the block and for the most part, do whatever they please, even take some of it with them, as long as they don’t leave it in another exhibit. The result is overwhelming and moving. And sometimes it’s funny, even though what Norma Jeane is getting at is nothing but. There are love notes, “I was here” type creations, and humor. See how one visitor amended another’s creation in the last photo. And be sure to click on the panoramic shots to get a bigger sense of the room.

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