Flyer courtesy of TAG

Browsing Beauty- Sigi Torinus (Canada), Andrea Sunder-Plassmann (Germany) 

Browsing Beauty has the aura of cyberspace, a website expanded to the third dimension engulfing the viewer in a barrage and complexity of images. A trio of gigantic balloons float in the gallery space, each balloon receives projections from multiple directions, creating a kaleidoscopic environment of fragmented and overlapping images. A slight wind or a touch of the finger animates the giant spheres into a soft slow motion, causing them to gently bob through the blue-tinted air. The sheer size of the ethereal spheres crowds the viewer into the interstitial space, insisting on close and personal contact. Crisscrossed by the light from the projectors, the translucent balloons exhibit images from both sides, simultaneously condensing the three-dimensional space of the gallery back into the two-dimensional computer screen from which the images seem to come. The word “browsing,” in the title Browsing Beauty, refers to the internet and indeed, the website, www.browsingbeauty.com, is the conceptual “engine.” The website and blog are used as tools to gather information and extend the exhibition. 

The use of the spheres permits a sculptural translation of a site on the web into a physical reality, which is spatially dynamic in a way which is impossible in cyber “space.” As such, the installation is a remarkable example of the sculptural potential of time-based media in installation. The idea of presenting a dialogue between cyberspace and three-dimensional space is intriguing by itself and the concept of beauty is particularly well suited to this vehicle. – excerpts from media review by Donna Schumacher, Sculpture Magazine. 

Browsing Beauty had its first incarnation in 1997. This presentation, an updated continuation on a theme, examines the changes in the perception of beauty within that time, the particular Canadian aspects of beauty, and the use of the internet as a vehicle. The exhibition incorporates a Canadian perspective and connects the geographical regions of the partner galleries into the context of the exhibition.  

The title Browsing Beauty alludes to the artists’ studio process as browsing: feeding and grazing on tender vegetation, sampling, in the hope of finding something of interest. Sound for the upcoming Canadian shows created by the Noiseborder Ensemble, Windsor, ON and has been recorded on vinyl (LP). 

Browsing Beauty will be exhibited in the Ground Floor Gallery of the Thames Art Gallery from October 30^th until November 29^th, 2009. An opening reception will take place on November 5^th, 7pm at the Thames Art Gallery where the artists will be on hand to speak about their work. The Thames Art Gallery is located at 75 William Street N, Chatham, ON and open 7 days a week from 1-5pm. This exhibition is presented in partnership with The Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery and the WKP Kennedy Gallery.