Jeppe Hein

My trip to the Barbican was not a complete write-off as it gave me another chance to see Jeppe Hein’s installation in the Curve Gallery. It is a fascinating piece. Entering the gallery triggers the movement of a large white ball, which commences a journey of wonderment around the space. Lifted by a pulley mechanism, the ball rolls along an overhead walkway which starts to twist and turn; at the far end of the gallery it rolls down a spiral path before its return journey. The return leg is where the magic happens – at one point the ball rolls along a see saw, which drops to stop the ball, before gravity takes over; elsewhere speed and vicious spin are injected so that the ball stops and rolls back up the ramp until gravity again takes over. The ball ends up back in a queue at the start.

Whilst I wasn’t convinced that the slides at the Tate really were “art”, I am equally convinced that this is. It’s my blog and I can be as subjective as I like, and if you don’t like it I can always take my ball home with me. Why I think its art is because of the mental stimulation of the piece. Whilst I watched the progress of my ball, the following went through my head.

Construction / engineering – what a remarkable mechanism this is, as intricate and balanced as any sculpture, and beautiful to watch.

Narrative – the ball’s journey had tension, drama, a sense of time and place, well paced, with twists and turns to keep you interested.

Sound – there was the clanking of the pulleys, the whirring of the ball when the centrifugal forces were applied, the restful clicking as the ball came to a rest nestling against the previous ball.

Fascination – the experience grew rather than diminished with a second viewing.

Go see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJmXw0pnOmU