Embassy of the Real Cockatoo Island 20th Biennale of Sydney
Cockatoo Island was a convict settlement and then a shipyard until 1992
Korakrit Arunanondchai video installation
Xu Zhen Eternity 2013–14
Chiharu Shiota Conscious Sleep 2016
site specific installation with old beds and knotted black wool
detail
seeing photos of Chiharu Shiota’s installation The Key in the Hand last year for the Venice Biennale stole my heart away, having the opportunity to see her work in real life in a space I know well is deep soul food
next door to Chiharu’s work were three terrifyingly small solitary confinement cells, these were the bars on one of the guard’s peep holes
Agatha Gothe-Snape Physical Doorway (Three Ways), 2016
we will go back to see William Forsythe’s pendulum installation Nowhere and everywhere at the same time, 2015 as the compressor had broken down, a good excuse to see all the work again as well as the beauty and history of this abandoned industrial zone
a wonderful old wooden boat from Cockatoo Island’s shipbuilding days
and a fabulous steam engine
inner city bushland at Balls Head on the ferry ride home
Sydney Harbour Bridge and Luna Park
we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world
Embassy of the Real
Posted: April 3, 2016 by Mo Crow in art exhibitions, It's Crow TimeTags: art, Biennale, inspiration
Comments
It's Crow Time 
Thanks so much for the virtual tour. I’d love to visit but post knee op can’t sit in the car for more than 20 mins before I’m in pain. Have you seen Sheila Hicks at the AGNSW? I nearly blew a gasket when I read the SMH a couple weeks back when John Macdonald referred to her work as handicrafts! I thought we’d moved beyond such dull mindedness , but obviously not.
The Biennale is on til early June, x fingers your knee recovers perfectly soon so you can see everything! Looking forward to visiting the Embassy of Spirit and in particular Sheila Hicks work at the AGNSW for our next excursion and re the parlous state of art, design and craft in Australia, what with the rampant cuts to the TAFE system, the disappearance of Craft Australia and the Australian Craft Show in contrast to over 2 million people working in Australia as makers alongside the commercial galleries saying they are doing it very tough, something’s gotta give soon. I feel like we’re on the cusp of a new golden time for well thought out exquistely crafted one-offs, be they art craft or both.
ALL of this, just ALL of IT…..thank you!!! and yes…i do see this, it IS the most BeautyFULL
city. Just love the buildings here, always have loved that kind and to see them so full of
the Heart of Creativity….just love this post
I love this 21st C world where we can share our different views of the world for free!
Thanks for this beautiful post Mo. Almost went to Cockatoo Island yesterday with a friend who was visiting from Mullumbimby, but we ran out of time and muscles as we walked the length and breadth of Darlinghust, Woolloomooloo, AGNSW, The royal Botanic Gardens, SOH, The Rocks, down to Central, bus to Glebe point Road, back to Circular Quay, ferry to Barangaroo, etc, etc. But it looks worth a visit!
I need to go back to take another squizz, let me know when you’re heading over!
love those beds with the network of webs..imagining laying there and seeing threads leading off to all those different dreams. great building too all that space above. loved seeing these.
she weaves with such sensitivity to the history and architecture of the space into the now
Especially love the photo of the inner city bushland and views of your water! I thought of you when Moon made a painting of his imagining of an outback sunset yesterday.
haven’t seen the outback since I hitchhiked to Perth across the Nullabor Plains in 1974 when it was still a dirt track but I dream of seeing the boab trees in flower in the far NW of Western Australia in this lifetime!
So hope I get there before it ends. Thank you for a wonderful virtual peek. Each photo became my favourite as I looked – such a fabulace place. We are lucky to have such an amazing city and harbour.
x fingers Carol, this Biennale has some rare gems!
I love that bed and knotted wool piece.
it’s brilliant I look forward to going back and seeing it again as well as dancing with the pendulums