Antarctic Heart 2000
Macrocarpa treated with fluorescent and luminescent paints
Invisible to the naked eye,
Antarctic diatoms dance!
.
…Virginia King invites viewers into a virtual world through the awakening of the senses: we see, hear and almost touch Antarctica. Her installation Antarctic Heart is a fluid and subtle reflection on life under sea ice sheets. King’s macrocarpa and totara sculptural forms pivot from strings, allowing the reflective and luminous painted surfaces to glide in a darkened gallery space. These skeletal and fossilised structures belong to an underwater world where micro organisms survive in icy conditions. King magnifies these minuscule diatoms or algae, allowing each form to move freely. As they swivel and turn, the process of regeneration is suggested. In the frozen saline lakes of the Dry Valleys, life is teeming with fantastical creatures. Shifting to the soundtrack of Weddell seals, King’s sculptures capture a fleeting moment, a secret world and a quiet place in the Antarctic Heart.
Gina Iris, Southbound:Artists to Antarctica
Art New Zealand NUMBER 117 / SUMMER 2005-2006