Thursday 27th July 2023 was a life changing day for me. It may go down in my personal history as a moment of revelation, standing alongside other gilded milestones like Saturday 28th October 2000, when I first saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as it premiered on UK television. These moments are to be cherished, documented, and discussed. This blog has primarily dealt with my rich inner world of dreams, but today, I break tradition to review an exhibition I attended in London two weeks ago.
The exhibition in question was Dali Cybernetics: The Immersive Experience, which took place at The Boiler House in Brick Lane, a rundown, industrial part of East London. As someone who has attended a wide range of London art exhibitions, from high end installations to down and dirty warehouses, I had some idea of what to expect, but nothing could have prepared me for the religious epiphany that lay in wait. But I jump ahead. And how can one not, when one has been transmogrified, soared with angels and, to quote the poet John Gillespie Magee Jr., 'touched the face of God'?
Upon entry, you are presented with a pair of cardboard 3D glasses, the very same to be found in every children's magazine in the nineties. These 3D specs are sparingly used and, as in the nineties, are at best a tawdry gimmick. You will find nothing spectacular in their application. Indeed, they were a mere teaser for what was to come, an appertif for the main serving.
For those with an interest in Salvador Dali, and surrealism in general, the early information is presented in standard gallery fare, via printed text on walls. The information explores his fascination with cybernetics, science, and mysticism. I learned more about Dali than I thought I knew, such as the full extent of his virtuosity. Not only was he a painter, he also dabbled in film, sculpture, graphic arts, photography, physics, astronomy, novel writing, and much more, all to a high skill level. He was a true Renaissance man. In a world where we are encouraged to find one profession and stick to it, we will not see his like again. I remarked to the friend I was with, that had he been alive today, Dali would most certainly have been a video game developer.
One line from the exhibition which stayed with me was Dali's mission. It is stated that he aimed to 'bridge the gap between man and angel.' This intermarriage between religion and science, a communion I long knew to be entirely possible and necessary, was reinforced for me here. I knew I was on the right track with my personal philosophy. If Dali says something, you stop and listen.
Another thing that jumped out at me (not literally, not yet) was how energetic the man was. The second room is a small cinema, with a looped film of Dali strutting along the street, posturing in front of an audience, and finally being buried in a coffin full of money whilst being sniffed at by an ocelot. All standard fare for the eccentric extrovert. Just watching his antics made me feel tired - us sleepy, modern men are not made for such frolics.
After the film, there is more information and artworks, including an interactive installation involving drawing on an ipad and having your contribution displayed on a large wall mounted display. I did not engage well with this, and rarely do when active interaction is on offer. Imagining all the bacteria accumulating on those screens, my post Covid aversion to humans kicked in. Then it was down a flight of stairs and into the penultimate room - a spacious gallery with moving images projected onto the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Visitors are encouraged to take a seat on the numerous deckchairs or bean bags scattered around, and to watch the visual display. It lasts for some thirty minutes before repeating itself, and there are moments where you can don the 3D glasses for trippy effects. Feet enthusiasts will be excited to learn that at one point, the giant foot of a woman comes out of the wall straight into your face (pictured below). I am not here to judge. We see many of Dali's more famous paintings presented thus. This part of the exhibition was serene and lulled me into a state of lethargy. It acted as a fluffer for the main event, relaxing one's mind and body, rendering one more susceptible to engage with what followed.
My main criticism of this portion is that the music was ill-chosen, a point I was sure to raise in my customer feedback the next day. Far too aggressive and in some places downright derivative, the music distracted and detracted from, rather than enhanced the experience. The intrusive tracks did not fit well with the surreal, morphing artwork all around. When we have far more suitable scores from Minimalist composers like Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Terry Riley on offer, why resort to such clumsy choices? Was it a licensing issue, or a conscious decision? Either way, it marred the experience.
AI and discussions on its application remains a popular topic at the moment, and part of the immersion experience is given over to showcase AI-generated Dali art. Indeed, as could be predicted, to the untrained eye it was nigh on indistinguisable from Dali's true works. What amused me was the way the music turned sinister and oppressive at this point, to villify the concept for audiences. One could easily imagine the lamentations on the 'death of art' that went on behind the scenes. Earlier in the exhibition, we see a quotation from Dali, who himself prophesied that AI would be the future of art. I am sorry James Cameron, but it was not you who made that prediction.
I appreciate you bearing with me up to this point, but we are now entering the main event. The money shot. The thrilling climax. My spiritual epiphany and conversion to a religion I never knew existed. I present to you the reason for the pilgrimage and the 'engoodening' of the exhibition - the VR section of Dali Cybernetics. From reading other reviews, it distresses me knowing that some people skipped out on this part through fear of the unknown, or perhaps an aversion to new experiences. Forgive them, for they know not what they do. I used to be one of them. I was lost, and saw the light. I was bereft, and found succour. I was a mariner without a compass. A shepherd without a flock. A cosmonaut without a ship, etc. etc. But more on that later, and you will have to wait until tomorrow.
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