A lesson in physics

Last Saturday I paid a visit to the Museum of modern art 'De Pont' in Tilburg where several art works of the British Indian artist Anish Kapoor are exhibited. The former wool spinning mill with its spacious and intimate environments creates a perfect context for a real sensorial experience.

The atmosphere of the central exhibition space is different from the usual, instead of the formal distance to the art works the public is actively interacting with the installations. The perfectly polished steel made mirrors seem to trigger a somewhat primitive reaction. The moment confronted with the three dimensional mirrored surfaces as well children as adults are responding instantly by making distorted self-portraits or funny pictures of their companion with their cameras. It reminds me of the village fair evergreen, the mirror labyrinths.

But besides providing space for basic pleasure it definitely is the perfect play to learn installation for the physics high school teacher. Is there a better way to make students more eager to understands the complex rules of a three dimensional mirror surface?

In contrast with the extrovert spacious mirror experience,  the intensely pigment powdered half spheres presented in a separate space are providing a moment of seclusion. Absorbed by the depth of color, an experience of infinity and silence is created, the perfect mindfulness tool.

The brief moment of reflection will be rudely interrupted by a loud bang coming from the adjacent room. A compressed air canon loaded with red wax entities is fired in intervals of 30minutes. The wall opposite the canon is plastered with traces of the red wax ammunition. But the most exiting part of the performance is the waiting, the anticipating on the big bang, wanting to witness the collision, fearing to miss the moment and being anxious that the impact of the sounds will take you by surprise after all.

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