Self
Norma Jeane, Self, 2022 From Spark to Spirit, Noor Riyadh 2022
Curated by Neville Wakefield and Gaida Almogren
Music by DJ Viva
Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist, T293, Rome, and the Royal Commission of Riyadh City
Film by Domenico Catano
Norma Jeane’s Self is an interactive sculpture that detects and reacts to the presence of viewers as they try to experience it. Guests approach the organism, whose organs are disco gears, drawn in by the evidence of the throbbing electronic dance music and glittering disco lights. By the time the viewers enter the artwork, all of the hints of the club have evaporated, and they are left standing in a space that is devoid of any sensory stimulation. After the viewers have left (or if they all stay perfectly still), the room reverts to its previous condition – a vibrant disco – even though there is no longer anyone there able to participate.
Body of Building
During the Quadriennale 2020, as soon as the exhibition closes its doors, the building gains life. The Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome is kept breathing by ‘Body of Building’, Norma Jeane’s artwork specially conceived for the Roman event.
The lighting system, a pulsation that lights up the hall entrance of the building, is linked to Norma Jeane’s own breath, through an innovative remote monitoring tool developed by researchers at the Politecnico di Milano.
For the time being, due to the closure of all museums in Italy in compliance to the new anti-Covid 19 measures, ‘Body of Building’ remains the only artwork – connected to an institution or museum – still visitable, in Rome and in the whole country, attributing the project a deeper level of significance, considering its symbolism in the midst of our troubled present.
From tonight, November the 17th, the work will be activated everyday (except on Mondays) around 6pm, when the city becomes empty, as the curfew in Rome begins at 10pm, and will keep running all night long until 8am. ‘Body of Building’, will continue to breath, even in a silent and empty city.
Film by Domenico Catano