Institute of Contemporary Arts

Flora phones and flaming William

Date: 23 January 2008

Bill Burns: Boiler Suits for Primates Photo: Yung Kha

I never go to as many ICA events and linger in the exhibitions as long as I mean to so by committing myself to writing a blog regularly I’m going to see more things, pay more attention and hopefully inspire you to do the same. This week: Bill Burns.

The Bill Burns exhibition involves a veritable smorgasbord of mediums. In the Digital Studio I found a museum style set of cabinets holding his most well known piece ‘Safety Gear for Small Animals’ including tiny protective helmets, safety vests and work gloves. Alongside this is a set of plants being grown hydroponically as well as a set of letters written to various company heads and an interactive sound and sculpture installation in the bar called Bird Radio. The plants were being incubated in our kitchen over the past few months so it’s nice to see them front of stage, which I think is how Bill Burns would like us to see them; plants as personalities, animals as little beings.

He seems to have a very soft and protective attitude towards nature and this comes through nowhere more strongly than in Safety Gear for Small Animals. It’s pretty funny to look at the tiny work gloves and safety helmets and I love art with humour but it isn’t all smiles. I’ve read in various articles that his intention is to raise questions about the human impact on our environment but it didn’t really have that effect on me. It made me think how overly cosseted we are. The idea of knee pads for animals seems so ridiculous and just made me realise how hyper-protected we are in the West and how far away from death we feel on a daily basis. Either way, I love this installation so I asked Emma Quinn the Director of Live and Media Arts to give me an interview to talk more about it. You can listen to it here.

Listen now (mp3)