Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) will present a comprehensive survey of the multi-sensory works of Australian artists Joyce Hinterding and David Haines from 2 September to 29 October, featuring collaborative projects and solo works.

Energies: Haines & Hinterding brings together Hinterding’s work on acoustic and electromagnetic phenomena with Haines’ hallucinatory video worlds and aroma-based compositions.

This collaborative exhibition spans experimental, digital, electronic and traditional media and brings together interactive cinema, installation, sound, video, sculpture, photography and drawing.

The artists’ practice is a kind of multisensory science fiction. Through their works, Haines and Hinterding encourage us to marvel at the wonders of the universe and reimagine the everyday world as a place buzzing with invisible energies, curiosities and sensations.

The two artists have been working together for over fifteen years to produce large-scale works that explore the unseen energetic forces that surround us. Very low frequency (VLF) radio waves, television signals, satellite transmissions, solar winds, aroma molecules and psychic forces all manifest within their work, which aims to summon these hidden realms and bring them to our senses. Much of their art emerges from the informal experiments they conduct in and around their home in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

Haines and Hinterding taught themselves to code in 3D computer programs over fifteen years ago. Expanding on their earlier game-based works, Haines’ and Hinterding’s work Geology (2015) uses computer-game technologies and a Kinect system for gesture-based interaction to create incredible simulations of the natural and supernatural world for gallery visitors to explore.

The work was inspired by a research trip the artists made to the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu in New Zealand after the devastating Christchurch earthquake of 2011. It is an amplified interactive cinematic experience the artists describe as an investigation of ‘how culture interacts with chaotic forces’.

Like the earthquake-damaged gallery in Christchurch, the landscape of Geology is filled with cracks and voids that we soon discover are portals into different worlds. Its imaginary terrain has several different levels to explore, each one taking the audience deeper underground to discover hidden arcane energies.

The exhibition also includes the enigmatic installation EarthStar (2008), which includes a video projection of the sun’s surface, antennas that detect radio waves from solar winds, and two ozone fragrances.

A range of public programs will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition, including an artist talk, a lecture by exhibition curator Anna Davis, school tours, a special experimental music event and an all ages hands-on activity in PICA’s Reading Room where visitors can further explore the world of hidden energies through materials including magnetic filings and kinetic sand.

Energies: Haines and Hinterding is curated by Anna Davis and organised and toured by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.

Listing Details

Exhibition
Energies: Haines & Hinterding
Date
2 September – 29 October
Location
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Perth Cultural Centre
51 James Street, Northbridge WA 6003
Cost
Free
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Event
Opening Night
Date & Time
Friday 1 September, 6:30pm
Location
All PICA Galleries
Cost
Free
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Event
Illustrated Lecture with Anna Davis
Date & Time
Wednesday 30 August, 6pm-7pm
Location
PICA Performance Space
Cost
$15 standard, $10 concession/member
Tickets
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Event
Artist Talks with David Haines & Joyce Hinterding
Date & Time
Saturday 2 September, 3pm-4pm
Location
All PICA Galleries
Cost
Free event

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