VIVARIA

This is one of those exhibitions that requires the viewer to do a little work. When walking into the CarriageWorks foyer there’s no trace of it, exploring the large space you may think it’s not even on until voila … tucked away between Bay 19 and 20 you’ll stumble across the installation … and it’s worth the effort. Samuel James’ Vivaria (meaning, “place of life”) features four widescreen TVs which are suspended midair showing various intriguing settings against an eerie soundscape. The five dancers and movement artists are super-imposed onto the panoramic backgrounds across enchanting landscapes from Japan, Germany and Australia. Take a closer look at one screen and you’ll miss what is going on in the others. Instead, your view dashes from screen to screen only grabbing glimpses or moments. Because even in reality our view tends to be limited, which poses the question: how do we inhabit space?

Until Sep 17, CarriageWorks, 245 Wilson Street Eveleigh, free, 8571 9099, carriageworks.com.au