Inflatables, Portable Architecture, Mobile Habitat by Ana Rewakowicz

During a residency at The Banff Centre for the Arts in 2003 I worked outside spraying a meteorological balloon with a fine mist of water in order to create a thin layer of ice on its surface. My goal was to build up an ice layer to the point that I could deflate the balloon achieving a shape of an ice bubble. Over a period of 36 hours, at the
temperatures of - 20°C, I continued to spray the balloon.

However on the second day of my performance, the weather had changed. It started to snow and the temperatures rose from - 20°C to + 5°C over the course of 12 hours. Because of the drastic temperature difference, the ice on the balloon began to crack and snow caused it to collapse by the morning hours.

For the "Living in a bubble" installation my goal was to create a situation, in which the viewer was able to experience the inside of an inflated balloon, while at the same time having access to the outside. For this purpose a method of negative pressure within a defined space was used. When the viewer approached an enclosed cube (8 x 8 x 8 feet)in which an 8-foot meteorological balloon was inserted, a motion detector triggered the blower outside. The suction of air from within the cube inflated the balloon and allowed a person to climb inside through a round opening. If the viewer was standing still the balloon deflated, imitating the process of breathing.

Living in a bubble 2003

Ice Bubble 2003

The disorienting experience of mobility and instability helps to re-examine the dwelling's definition as a place of belonging where identities are forged. This site-specific installation pursued this investigation by inviting people to interact with sounding-balloons residing in a private apartment space rented for a duration of one month. Flexible and formless, like shapeless zones of presence, the balloons took possession of the rooms, occupying them completely, blocking doors and windows, or simply floating within the space. This intrusion metaphorically evoked the presence of a foreign body in one's own living space and brought our attention to the question of positioning and seeking claim to a place.

The Occupants 2002

The "Uniblow Outfits" consist of two inflatable suits made from rubber latex and shoe-pumps, which people are invited to try on and walk around in order to inflate themselves. Displayed in a set-up resembling a fashion boutique, this work investigates strategies used in fashion and advertisement, namely desire and fantasy projections to see how they influence our understanding of the body, comfort and discomfort. In the video piece "Protected" we see people walking up a park hill in the outfits. They walk slowly supporting each other for balance. Sounds of birds are mixed with a squishing sound of shoe-pumps creating a strange contrast of the environment.

Uniblow Outfits 2001-2002

Born of collaboration between three artists, Lorraine Oades, Ana Rewakowicz and Ingrid Bachmann, Sonar was a site-specific, interactive installation that took place in the no longer functioning Saint-Michel swimming pool, located in the Mile End district of Montreal. It utilized sound, light, and water in conjunction with the spatial qualities of a site and invited a viewer to enter into a giant cloud of mist as a central element. This mist was generated from low-pressure ‘misty-mist’ nozzles used in greenhouse irrigation systems. An 8 x 60 feet rectangular constructed from the PVC pipes with inserted nozzles was suspended from the ceiling. When participants walked through and around the mist their movement triggered sonar sensors and activated audio sequences that reverberated through the site. For convenience umbrellas and raincoats were provided. The title Sonar referred to a method, in which sound waves are used to discover objects underwater and it was the process of discovery that we emphasized in this installation.

Photographs courteous of Ana rewakowicz 2006

Back

Sonar 2001