Art Matters comes to a close with fantastical interactive art

The Art Matters festival came to a close Saturday night with two engaging vernissages at the Eastern Bloc gallery. Intimacy in Public Spaces, curated by Sarah Nesbitt and John Naccarato, involved a number of installations that intruded on public space and invited the spectator to interact and play with the art. Electric carnaval électrique had many different multimedia installations and was curated by Shereen Soliman. The space had a definite Andy Warhol feel, with projection sheets dividing the loft-like gallery. A robot-like structure on wheels moved around the space, compelled to move by body heat. There were animations, videos and sound installations controlled by sensors, allowing the spectator to be more self-aware than ever. Performance art pieces took place in the centre, where a transfixing kinetic sculpture "Accordian Screen" by Robbie Murphy took precedence. "Look Into My Box" was a live-installation conceived by Joseph Bembridge, where four half-naked people stood in peepshow boxes for four hours. The performers were constantly aware that they were being watched, and responded to the viewers' glares. The boxes each had a theme that resembled typical fantasies, with small viewing holes to look through. Barbara Zemelka's "The Klapisz Issue" consisted of beautifully illuminated photos in light boxes that could be re-arranged by the viewer as if they were puzzle pieces.

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