No Signal

Now open at MIC - Imagin@rium, curated by Mexi Lane, is No Signal by Nessuno Myoo. Set on a platform on the sea, a great tower rises 80 meters into the sky, and, as Honour McMillan notes (and true to the installation's name) it appears to be what was once a communications tower, now dysfunctional and in considerable decay. As we explore — flying being the only option — we hear the tower creaking and moaning, as if it's about to topple into the waters below. Near the top, a figure grips the spire with one hand, while reaching, perhaps in vain, for a hat that seems to be blowing off in the wind (lowest image).

The exhibition notecard says — and perhaps a bit is lost in translation from the original Italian — "The new installation by Nessuno Myoo entitled 'No Signal' is a very special work, with inside a small mystery to unravel. Find all clues and ventured into the solution of the enigma, thanks to which will be revealed to you one of the singular key to the interpretation of the work." For over an hour, I poked and prodded, checking everywhere for interactive pieces, for written clues (yes, I found the piece of paper), for anything, but to no avail. While I was there, five other people came and left, equally perplexed, one saying simply, "I give up...we are headed elsewhere." Maybe it's something so obvious or simplistic we were all missing it, but I took hope in a comment Sniper Siemens posted on Facebook, saying that after 1 hour 56 minutes she solved the riddle.