REVIEW – EXIT: 360 Degree Artwork
As part of the 2017 Sydney Festival audiences have the chance to see a 360 degree art installation called Exit, which reflects the problems the world is facing today and the impact that climate change is having on the planet.
The idea behind Exit came from the French philosopher Paul Virilio, who introduces you to the exhibition via a video where he personally explains the concept in French with English subtitles.
You then move to a dark room with a 10 foot tall, 360 degree panoramic screen on which a spinning globe generates maps, texts and trajectories outlining issues such as population shifts in cities, the flow of money as immigrants send it back home, natural disasters, rising seas and cities under threat, deforestation and the loss of indigenous languages.
It impressively and comprehensively immerses you in the issues of the day without turning it into a political statement. The show was appropriately used for the first time at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, awakening world leaders to the existential threat climate change poses.
Exit was produced by New York studio Diller Scofidio + Renfroa in collaboration with architects, artists, scientists and geographers. This is not only a well-crafted visual artwork but it is also a useful platform to inform the public about some of the great moral challenges our world is facing. The gallery may only fit less than 50 people at a time, but the intimacy of the room makes the experience more enjoyable as it takes you through the six different narratives that surround you. (DJ)
Until Mar 25, 10am-5pm (closed Sun + Mon). UNSW Galleries, cnr Oxford St + Green Rd, Paddington. Free. Info: www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2017/exit
BY DANIEL JARAMILLO
