
Off senses/future senses is an exhibition about the senses (would you guess it?) in Gemak/Vrije Academie. So apart from sight, it’s about smelling, hearing and feeling.

It starts with the extremely blown up and detailed photos by Mattie van der Worm. Indeed

it’s tempting to scratch them or to sniff for the smell of them.



Peter de Cupere is trying to find his way by smell.


More about smell by De Cupere. His instruments


have the alienating aesthetics of African masks in a museum.


There is a homage to Derek Jarman, although this isn´t his promised and enigmatic Blue. Jarman made Blue when he was almost blind. But well, that´s the story, which would be movingly appropriate to this exhibition.




Petra van der Schoot was busy with an ongoing project Gevallen kamers (Fallen rooms)



where all textile is going through her hands, so everything is covered with feeling.
And apart

from that she shows this intriguing contraption, with a moving eye.




Yota Morimoto (who did the opening performance) shows two installations where sound is influencing vision.



In Infrasonic Study #2 a deep bass sound influences the material attached to the amplifiers. A kind of photography through sound, or rather soundography.

The Hyperlocator is an installation by LUSTlab which gathered quite some interest already at the opening. Projected balls with reflected street views react to the movements of the visitors standing close to the screen. And what’s more,


it also starts making noice. So you can influence it, but it will also influence you…..


Objectif Exhibitions let you concentrate on some short soundtracks while you sit in a chair and the sound is concentrated on your head


and makes you aware of how sound is entering your brain and really becoming sound to you.


Another way of experiencing sound is Cybil Scott’s installation Chamber. The sound will interact with you looking at virtually nothing except for some vague light. It’s demonstrated here by the artist.

I’d say it’s not really my cup of tea (but that’s something personal) but i’d recommend anybody to give it a try for a quarter of an hour. Aesthetically speaking

it would be better to let somebody else do it. (blind selfie)




Artistic Research Student Sissel Marie Tonn made an

(picture darkened)
installation about communication in combination with absence.


As an afterthought Goehte’s colour theory is shown, while the light is shining through its pages, while


Goethe’s unfortunate and romantic contemporary Philipp Otto Runge’s thoughts on the same subject can be seen.

The whole exhibition is well composed and has a lot to offer. One wonders

why these aspects of today’s art are not shown in any museum in or around The Hague. But,

on the other hand, institutions like Gemak couldn’t take credit for it then, and that would make the city a lot poorer. So

the message is loud and clear: Go And Experience This!!

(Click on the pictures to enlarge.)
Bertus Pieters
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