Sip my Ocean

I have recently visited the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. That was my first time in there, and I definitely enjoyed.

I went to see ‘Sip My Ocean’  the biggest exhibition of Pipilotti Rist –  a Swiss visual artist who works with video, film, and moving images which are often displayed as projections. Her given name is Elisabeth Charlotte Rist. When she left home at 19 she began introducing herself as Pipilotti, after the children’s book character Pippi Longstocking, known for her quirky character and extraordinary strength.

For the first time, I heard about her 8 years ago, when attending summer acting course. It was an intensive training before university entry exams – conducted by Grzegorz Suski – polish artist – very specific and amazing person who opened my eyes to widely understood art.

I spent a  week in the middle of nowhere – a little village with a beautiful lake close to Mazury – with 20 young people listening to and training with our mentor. I was 18 years old while most of the people there were in their twenties – already studying at the best acting universities in Poland, and myself who started a real adventure with theatre 2 years earlier. I was young, fresh, scared and so unnatural. I didn’t know myself well, I wasn’t aware of my body, but I had dreams and I was happy to learn!

When I saw ‘I’m Not The Girl Who Misses Much and ‘Pimple Porno’ – videos made by Pipilotti Rist – I was so fascinated and lost…  I was trying to understand while I should just have experienced.  A lot has changed since then, what’s important,  I’ve learned a lot about myself, acting, art and surrounding us world.

After graduating from School of Acting, I separated myself from everything what “artistic” – I was a bit overwhelmed with experiences – haha yes.

Now, after a few years, I can look at it again from a completely different point of view. That’s why this exhibition was important to me, I wanted to see how much I’ve changed since then.

I loved all her works from late 90’s – especially one where the camera follows a young women running through the forest – it reminded me forests in Poland – I’ve done my research and the video was actually made in Poland and the model was a Pole. Such a coincidence!

‘Sim my Ocean’  is a video projected as a mirrored reflection on two adjoining walls,  shows a women swimming underwater among sinking domestic objects, we can hear  Pipilotti singing – ‘Wicked Game’- Chris Isaak – repeating the lyrics ‘I don’t want to fall in love’. I’ve watched the whole thing twice!

‘Ever Is Over All’ below…

It was the most spectacular work in the exhibition, that I  could wander through 3000 LED lights that hung from the ceiling like vines.

Each LED is operated by a separate signal, and each reacts to music in the corresponding exhibition spaces.

I took me almost 3 hours to see the whole exhibition. I watched some videos a few time, most of the rooms were full of pillows and beds, so I could just sit or lay and enjoy watching. A beautiful and powerful exhibition! Keep an eye, maybe it will come to your city/country soon!