Projectiles

Now open at Holtwaye ArtSpace is Projectiles by Eupalinos Ugajin, a delightful exercise in purposeful purposelessness, the function of which is almost impossible to capture in a series of still photos (and therefore these images will provide only the most rudimentary sense of what happens). An enormous sink, with hot and cold water faucets (the teal shape on the right above, with the words "how's the water?" plastered on its side), is connected by a fulcrum to a bright yellow cone. Further away is a large rectangular tower that juts upward from a stone base.

Your task is to click on the cold water faucet, which gives you the choice of selecting any one of a number of items that will be rezzed and dropped into the sink, mostly art objects by blotto Epsilon, Dekka Raymaker, Alpha Auer, Marmaduke Arado, Maya Paris, Cutea Benelli, Rose Borchovski and the like (I'm leaving off quite a few names — there are many) — even a giant mesh penis by Jedda Zenovka. (You can also rez multiple items.) Then, click on the hot water faucet. A giant strawberry is dropped from a device overhead, which lands on the yellow cone, forcing the catapult to launch its load across toward the tower. Some items make it, and some don't (the penis rarely does, by the way). An impact with the tower sends it into a violent quivering motion and releases particle-like objects that drift in the wind. And then it's time to re-load.

It's all, of course, entirely absurd. And it's delightfully absurd in the spirit of artists such as Jean Tinguely, although hearkening more toward Duchamp and Dada than toward Tinguely's cynical social perspective. In order to see and then enjoy the work, we are asked to participate in the ridiculous task of loading up a catapult with odd projectiles, dropping a giant strawberry (all controlled by water faucets) and watching as the objects fly into a tower or drop to the ground, haplessly bouncing around. (You can, by the way, attempt to ride along — and if you rez the item by Haveit Noex you can sit on it, effectively flying across space as its attachment.) Projectiles is also a simple but exquisitely executed demonstration of Second Life physics.

Projectiles is a re-launch (sorry) of a similar work created back in late 2011 — thanks to Holter and Wayne of Holtwaye ArtSpace for giving us a chance to see it once again. The windlight setting and music stream are selections by Eupalinos. While you're visiting, be sure to explore the rest of the gallery below (where you can leave a tip if you'd like).