Unsafe Distance curated by Pavel Sedlak, is a showcase of artistic practices exploring issues of safety, environment, and human/non-human identity. Many of the works exemplify the fragile notion of our society.
Exhibited at the Stone Bell house the particular underground setting produced challenges as well as an incredible setting for these works.
Notable and perhaps due to the limited time, many of the works took on a documentary role.
The Martian Rose was shown as a work rather than documentation – the piece features a custom built chamber allowing audience to experience the outcome of an experiment where a rose was exposed to Martian conditions.
Stelarc's extra ear on his left arm was projected on a large screen and showed the procedure that produced this novel interface.
Bioteknica showed their works using video, images and a small installation/prototype of their work Teratoma. Their peculiar style is reminiscent of a biotech company.
Paul Thomas and Kevin Raxworth projected their work Midas directly on the underground mural of the exhibition space. Using data gathered from an atomic force microscope, the atomic vibration between the skin cells and gold is demonstrated. The work algorithmically simulates the translation from skin cells transforming into gold - alluring to the King Midas curse – in which "everything he touches turns into gold."
Anthony Hall's recreation of B2 reaction looks at the strange phenomenon of mixing a solution of citric acid, acidified and cure salt producing geometric patterns such as concentric circles and Archimedean spirals. Some patterns could be seen in the during the time of the exhibition and it would be interesting to have more sample mixes as well as to see their evolution over time.