Sheldon Museum of Art
Date of this Version
1985
Citation
SHELDON MEMORIAL ART GALLERYSHELDON MEMORIAL ART GALLERY, volume 2 number 1, 1985
Abstract
"There is a state of free fall where you don't know up, down, left, right, backwards or forwards; they're totally confused. Those seem to me to be the six ways of orienting yourself. What I would like to do is probably just disorient all those sensations. On the other hand, that also can be a very euphoric state; it can be very pleasing and people engage in all kinds of activities which involve this titillation (skydiving, amusement parks) ... What are they all but ways of titillating yourself? They always have to do with whirling in space, for pleasure as much as for fear;"you make yourself frightened so that you can enjoy it. For me things have that aspect."
And there it is-the most direct way of describing that curious combination of fear and euphoria made immediately apparent in Alice Aycock's sculpture. Like a giant mousetrap, The Machine That Makes The World issues a direct challenge to those who enter-can you make your way through without getting caught? The answer is both yes and no. For unlike the breathless speed of a sky dive or roller coaster ride, The Machine That Makes The World operates very, very slowly. Infinite patience is required to negotiate the complex series of gates and concentric labyrinth. One must wait for each element to gradually reveal an opening to squeeze through.