Escape (1992)

Paper offcuts
Gallery size: 12m high x 20m long x 5m wide

An official part of the Melbourne Festival 1992

Escape attracted seven thousand visitors in ten days

 

An interactive artwork accessible not only to those familiar with contemporary art and the art of Asher Bilu in particular but to members of the general public of all ages. Escape provided an experience of being inside an Asher Bilu painting. The installation comprised:

  • fifteen tonnes of shredded paper, mostly white, but several tonnes painted in different fluorescent colours to provide a final effect of “buried opals” in the white.
  • banks of Ultra Violet lights
  • hidden speakers to provide interactive music especially composed for the work.

After the artist had installed the work visitors were encouraged to experiment with the medium, thereafter changing it constantly by creating their own sculptures or by simply playing.

After the artist had installed the work visitors were encouraged to experiment with the medium, thereafter changing it constantly by creating their own sculptures or by simply playing.