Roar writer Kate Palos on Anicka Yi’s latest exhibition “In Love With the World” at Tate Modern.Â
Anicka Yi’s exhibition, “In Love With the World” is open at Tate Modern from 12 October 2021 to 16 January 2022. The exhibit is housed in Tate’s Turbine Hall and consists of floating machines called “aerobes” – inspired by ocean life forms and mushrooms –. The space is striking and playfully described as an “aquarium of machines“ by Yi.
The installation features distinctive scents or “scentscapes” that differ from week to week, from marine smells to earthy vegetation, spices, or smells of decomposition. This directly reflects Yi’s interest in the social and political experience of air. Perhaps the engineering behind the noiseless flight and organic movement of the aerobes is also political, or of course, conversely up for interpretation. This design choice allows for the seamless integration of machine into everyday space, becoming part of the atmosphere rather than interrupting it. However, it would be difficult to hear noise from the aerobes as the hall is loud with chatter and excitement.
Yi’s work is both multidisciplinary and experimental in nature; the charging station for the aerobes demonstrates this with the culmination of computer scientists and artists. The charging station was equally as curious as the floating orbs, especially when watching the team catch the aerobes to charge them.
The aerobes made the turbine hall – ordinarily a striking brutalist space – more accommodating. They invite a childlike curiosity and innocence amongst visitors, dissolving inhibitions to the point of some people opting to lie on the ground to enjoy the aerobes from a different angle. A small yet crucial attention to detail that transforms the overall experience of “In Love With the World” involves aerobes being drawn to body heat. This adds a certain intimacy between the human and the machine. It encourages a different perspective on machines, our relationships with them, how they inhabit the world, and their future potentials.
You can book your free e-ticket here. Bear in mind that the tickets are timed, and you have to queue to get in regardless if you have a ticket or not (the queue goes very quickly!). The Tate operates with Covid-19 safety measures, so face coverings are required unless you are exempt.
More information on this exhibition can found here.Â
