En la Ciudad de los Círculos (In the City of Circles)

Lisa Stewart
Mixed Media Interactive Installations
2010

Conceived during a 2-month residency in 'The City of Diagonals' (La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina), En la Ciudad de los Círculos (In the City of Circles) presents a series of interactive installations that respond to life within La Plata from an outsider perspective. The project extracts various experiences from the everyday and reconfigures them within the walls of the fictitious City of Circles. Covering locations near, far and beyond, the project melds disparate elements together: the familiar with the unfamiliar; the concrete beside the abstract; and micro next to macro. The work combines live performance, sound, video, drinks, sculpture, natural and artificial smells within three larger installations.

Part I El Bar (The Bar), is the first port of call. In this play shop, fake Argentinean pesos are exchanged for real beverages of mysterious content. Participants must deal with an erratic vendor who communicates only through pictures. The determined are rewarded with objects that assist with entry into El Jardín Circular.

Part II El Campo (The Field), provides an escape from the hustle bustle of the bar. Hidden within a giant street-crate, this second installation offers a sensorial brush with nature. Encapsulated within reeds and long-grasses, visitors are soothed as artificial winds bring fresh smells and sounds.

Part III El Jardín Circular (The Circular Garden), is the final destination, a marvelous synthetic garden that offers relaxation, reflection and clarity. Within the garden, visitors are able to view the magic basin where the inner-workings of the city can be observed.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

'El Campo' - mixed media sensorial installation at Residencia Corazón, 2010 from Lisa Stewart on Vimeo.