by Winsome Adelia Tse
DEMOS - A Reconstruction Invitation Project by Andreas Angelidakis, 14 Mar 2019.
Photo Credit: Jax Repei
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Toronto. September 22, 2018 – ongoing.
March 2019
Piled casually on the left section of Floor 1 lobby of the MOCA in the form of a number of large, brightly patterned soft foam blocks, is DEMOS - A Reconstruction created by Andreas Angelidakis. This exhibition is the MOCA’s first foray into the realm of interactive and site reliant installation, bringing together strong ideas of the natural development of community and innovation.
Each of the 74 foam blocks seem to average a meter in length, and mimic the shapes of Tetris with smooth vinyl covers digitally printed in patterns of Athenian traditional carpets. The pieces are soft and light enough for most people to lift and move around, but large and strong enough to build with.
However, the installation is less about what it is, what it is made of, or how it was made than it is about the continuous transformation through viewer interaction. In its simple geometric and cubic forms, and its invitation to play, the viewer is almost un-anchored from their surroundings in a museum.
DEMOS’ fun squishy modules echo the safety mats of gym classes past and invites the viewer to interact and play with these larger than life rearrange-able blocks in a way that is nostalgic to children’s playgrounds. The huge scale itself dwarfs your average adult, hearkening back to childhood when the world loomed so much larger than each of us. The art work’s context within a rough, industrial yet modernized venue such as the MOCA and its status as installation art alters the expectations of your given art museum attendee; everyone is free to embrace the playfulness, tinkering, and wonder-fueled invention the piece as a whole evokes within each person.
Looking further into the social and cultural symbolism through the title of DEMOS, which has a long list of significant meaning through reference of the workings of democracy, the shorthand for the word demonstration, the testing or previewing of a new product, and even the shorthand for demolition, it is clear that Angelidakis has put strong conceptual thought into this work. Even the use of Athenian carpet patterning specific to economic and historical influences to life connects back to the overall theme of structures within society and created by society. In this way, the piece becomes multidisciplinary with its roots reflecting the rich culture, humanity, and structure enveloping our world.
As curious attendees grew bolder in their contact with DEMOS, individual creative visions began to show themselves. The guests become the performers willingly, without self consciousness, even enthusiastically. Small masterpieces appeared at random. A long tunnel here, a sky-scraping tower there – people of all ages leaned, sat, climbed on every block. Others scattered them about. Even those that were still unclear or suspicious of the interactivity of the work were delighted and amused by the endeavours of others to build or alter the configurations left by those before. The sound of laughter and unadulterated joy permeated throughout the entire lobby space. As the blocks are moved, the entire installation came alive to imitate the rising and falling of cities and societies in the past, present, and future to come.
Read more about DEMOS here.