Paris Update Art Notes
META-PERCEPTION MADE EASY
Actress Lucy Dixon wearing the “Cheshire Cat” Meta-Perceptual Helmet by Cleary Connolly.
Ever wondered what the world looks like to a hammerhead shark, which has hyper-stereo vision, or a horse, which has a 350-degree view of its surroundings? Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly, a pair of new-media artists better known as Cleary Connolly, not only wondered but set about creating “Meta-Perceptual Helmets” that allow wearers to see the world from the point of view of various creatures, including sharks, horses, cats (peripheral vision in one eye and frontal vision in the other so that they can watch out for predators while hunting their own prey), chameleons (which can look backward and forward at the same time) and giraffes (which see the world from on high). The sixth helmet offers bifocal vision, which would allow us to focus on one task while taking in our surroundings at the same time. The six helmets, handsome shiny sculptures in their own right, were handmade in aluminum by Neil McKenzie, and are now on show at the Irish Cultural Center in Paris as part of the “Meta-Perception Club,” a series of exhibitions and events involving musicians, performance artists and visual artists. Three “happenings” will take place, on Jan. 22, Feb. 5 and Feb. 19. To try the helmets yourself, visit the center and meet Cleary and Connolly between 2 PM and 5 PM, Tues. to Fri., Jan. 6-Feb. 20. For more details, see the center’s website.
Favorite