Child's play at Blue Oyster

Child's play at Blue Oyster

Art works made of sweets, interactive art, and lots of castles make for a playful group of exhibitions at the Blue Oyster Art Project Space in Dunedin in June.

Director Jamie Hanton says the three exhibitions opening next month bring humour and fun, with a darker side, into the gallery space.

"There'll be plenty of bright colours, some unusual materials, and an interactive element. As with much contemporary art there is a bit of a twist as well so there should be lots to interest visitors of all ages," he says.

Sweet art

Junk food, sweets and soft drinks are the medium for Ro Bradshaw's exhibition Please God, let my children grow and live happily ever after. Bradshaw says the works are a response to media reports about how the over-consumption of junk food and soft drinks is leading to childhood obesity.

"The work addresses the illogicality of social mores and parental fears. Obesity is probably the biggest threat to New Zealand children and the most controllable of societal ills, but it is often given less attention and consideration than the more sensational fears such as terrorism, drink driving, danger-stranger, drugs and teenage suicide.

"Food is inspiring as both a symbol and subject in art. It can refer to a plethora of themes from the aesthetics of still life to globalization, health issues regarding obesity and anorexia, feminist issues concerning concepts of beauty and the ideal body weight," she says.

Storage systems

Margaret Feeney is hoping her installation Storage Systems will encourage collaboration and interaction from gallery visitors.

"People can watch the Cell Case Film from the comfort of the Analogue Chair. They can record their impressions and ideas, and respond to other people's contributions, in books that are attached to the chair. They can also play with some little ceramic sculptures, which are another, older medium for storing ideas and information.

"Storage Systems is an installation that compares analogue storage to digital storage. It is an investigation of the active role media and their storage systems have in the manufacture of meaning. For instance, the empirical system evolved in a pre-digital world and is welded to analogue storage. It is an experiential system based on observation and the senses, so can it adapt to a virtual world," she says.

Castleland

The third exhibition, Justin Spiers' Castleland, subverts the fairy tale idea of a castle and was inspired by growing up in Dunedin – a city with its very own castles.

The exhibition includes a video work shot in an abandoned theme-park in Western Australia and photos of castles from Chinese amusement parks to Dunedin's own Larnach and Cargill's castles.

"The exhibition explores connections between traditional castles, both real and imaginary, and the contemporary demarcation and fortification of domestic space with digital and infra-red surveillance," says Spiers.

The exhibitions Please God, let my children grow and live happily ever after, Storage Systems, and Castleland, open on 1 June and run until 9 July.

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