Lang/Baumann at Bell-Roberts
by Paul Edmunds
On the one hand, this is a project whose principle wealth lies in its conception - realising it is not necessarily more interesting than conceiving of it. On the other hand it's also a project whose value resides largely in a physical experience. Either way, at its core is a simple plan: design some friendly, sexy forms; render them as large blue, inflated tarpaulin objects; arrange carefully in an empty space (in the latter they fail, but more of that later). Lang/Baumann (L/B) seem to trade in the simple but unexpected. They have an acute grasp of design and an enviable dose of hip, which has previously found its way onto soccer pitches, into gymnasiums and later this month the walls of Jo'burg, Cape Town's unofficial Art HQ.
From outside, the gallery 'Comfort #2' looks like a landscape of gently rolling blue hills, one that extends from the shopfront to the back of the gallery. On entering you find yourself wandering amongst chest high, inflated forms, which are charmingly linked together by thick hoses and connected to a remarkably silent blower. The easy swelling forms connected by a lifeline evoke a string of vital organs. Their shapes bring to mind alphabet soup or the lazy doodles of a styrofoam chip machine. The rounded forms and the slightly yielding surfaces invite you to lean and prop yourself up against them, or, if you're brave enough, to straddle the forms horse-style.
The primary colour and the smell of tarpaulin bring to mind stolen moments on the high jump mats while the gym teacher was distracted. None of that macho sporty stuff here though; this is not about competition, it's about comfort. Mind you, it was always going to be a challenge to show this work to a South African audience more familiar with socially engaged or serious work, and, for the large part, mistrustful of such a light touch. Also, South Africans vacillate between fear of getting too close to works of art and total ignorance of what's appropriate (someone bit a work of mine last year!).
It seems, though, that audiences have responded positively, perhaps some a little too enthusiastically. Gallery director Suzette Bell-Roberts slipped off one of the pieces and did some nasty damage to her ankle. I doubt that L/B will be sued for liability and I do hope that they will instead be remembered for presenting us with an evocative, engaging and unavoidably funky experience. I hope too that they are remembered for the courage of a simple gesture, rather than the cheek of getting away with the bare minimum.
Postscript: The work doesn't benefit from being crammed into one part of the gallery and I can only wonder at the wisdom of presenting Stan Engelbrecht's Infinity in the space around the corner (I have nothing against this work per se). 'Comfort #2' needs breathing space (compare it with the publicity shot L/B provided) and the light spill from the projection does nothing for the spare, simple geometry of the forms and surrounding space.
Opening: 6pm, Wednesday March 12
Closes: March 23
Bell-Roberts Art Gallery, 199 Loop Street, Cape Town
Tel: 021 422 1100
Fax: 021 423 3135
Email: suzette@bell-roberts.com
Website: www.bell-roberts.com
Hours: Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5pm, Sat 10am - 1pm
