Exhibition: Emotion Air @ Old Bilingsgate

Ballon Museum | 2023

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"EmotionAir explores the profound relationship between art and emotions through the captivating medium of inflatable art. EmotionAir offers a multisensory exposition path that balances the lightness of inflatable works with the complexity of human emotions."

Though it felt like this was yet another 'immersive' instagrammable experience in London, this one was different. The sheer scale of the exhibits took me back especially with the first exhibit "Electric Moons" by Christopher Bauder that move hypnotically in a random series of sequences coupled with equally hypnotic music.

Christopher Bauder - Electric Moons (2018) | Emotion: Carefree Joy

Others, like "Too Many Thoughts" by Hyperstudio completely encompassed the emotion of Anxiety. The imposing spheres in sync with breathe, expanding and contracting as you walk through, it felt as suffocating as anxiety does. The use of strobe lighting oscillating with complete darkness and often piercing electric sounds was breathtaking. For me this was the best exhibit, it's hard to always communicate negative emotions but Hyperstudio did it exceptionally well and weirdly seeing the anxiety made me calmer. It also reminded me of Inside Out 2 with the anxiety attack scene.

What I appreciated most was the care taken to explain each artists interpretation of the given concept so that it was accessible to all. With each artist taking the audience on a journey through emotion that was inviting, engaging and stimulating.

It was disappointing to go a second time though as I saw that the care wasn't reciprocated to the interactive artworks themselves from the audience. Some people used it as an opportunity to cause unnecessary havoc on unsuspecting staff and visitors, likening it more to a theme park than an art exhibit. I guess that's a tough line to walk trying to bridge the gap between art and immersion.