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02 May, 2009

What’s your idea of a Psycho Building?

Posted by: admin In: Tate

For some truly off-the-wall ideas take a trip to Psycho Buildings, the Hayward Gallery London’s mash up of art and architecture.

The exhibition brings together what they describe as ‘habitat-like sculptures and architecturally inflected installations’. This translates into some pretty weird and spectacular spaces, and maybe a few that would be fun to think about in the context of the new Tate Modern building.

Atelier Bow Wow’s Life Tunnel Photo: © Stephen White

There’s Life Tunnel 2008 by Atelier Bow-Wow, for example. It’s a passageway made from steel that connects two floors of the Hayward gallery. To negotiate it you have to crawl at first, then walk as you find your balance. Another shaft sprouts vertically filling the space with light, and allowing visitors a view down below.

It reminded me of Carsten Höller’s installation at Tate Modern last year. His slides provided an exhilarating ride down from the galleries to the Turbine Hall.

Slidey fun at Tate Modern. Photo: © Tate Photography

Both sculptures are aesthetic, immersive experiences – fun and functional. Holler is adamant that sliding is a viable means of transport. I’m not sure about that, but if TM2 can have slides, tunnels and lifts that work I’ll be very happy indeed.

Thanks to Psycho Buildings thousands of people can now say that they have paddled in a boating lake on top of a building in the middle of London. That’s because the Austrian collective Gelitin have filled one of the Hayward’s outdoor sculpture terraces up to the brim with water and plonked in some home-made rowing boats.

This is me trying out one of Gelitin’s boats. The installation is titled ‘Normally, Proceeding and Unrestricted With Without Title’ 2008