Inflatable exhibit centres on phallic representations
By Josh Kolm
Lance Writer
September 30, 2009
 Marcia Huyer is an artist whose work consists entirely of large, human-sized inflatable sculpture.
At first glace it is intriguing and quirky, something that allows you to be open-minded about art without trying to understand any of that weird stuff you find at other galleries.
Step into “What’s up there anyhow?,” an exhibit now on display at Windsor’s Artcite, centred around phallic representations embodying modern man’s impractical utilizations of ingenuity and what happens when the status gained leads to inevitable inadequacy.
Huyer, who has been working with inflatables since 2003, used grey two-tone silk to construct replicas of some of the world’s tallest buildings at a 1/160th of the size. They are kept in a perpetual state of under-inflation by small motors imbedded in their stands.
But the exhibit is far from being a room full of car dealership sale balloons.
Besides being crafted in a way that the pieces remain completely still and static, the positions and shape of the replicas is rather fascinating.
The Petronas Twin Towers are flat on the floor, the Bank of China Tower is closest to full inflation but is not there yet, the Empire State Building is standing but has lost semblance to its former form, and the Sears Tower is drooping slightly but all hope is lost for its smaller partner.
The real-life counterparts are from all over the world and of various architectural origins.
Each representation is in a different state of collapse, but the thing they all have in common is failure.
Each one has been touted as the largest building in the world under various circumstances, but each one has also been overtaken.
Huyer compels us to consider the obvious phallic nature of the exhibit (it’s written on the exhibit summary on the wall, actually). This is due to the obvious phallic nature of skyscrapers in general, and helped not only by the difficulty they have in this exhibit to maintain their stature, but also through the idea of immature competition that is linked to it.
The title of tallest building adds nothing to a structure’s practicality. It doesn’t make it a better building.
These are all buildings that were built with the goal of being the world’s tallest building in mind. The practical function of extra office space is a pleasant bonus.
And now, with the title taken away by some new guy in Dubai, the models stand in various depressive slouches to match their lack of purpose. If they had been fully inflated in a playground somewhere, the fun thing would have been to play King Kong.
Seeing some of the world’s biggest man-made landmarks not only reduced to human size but drooping from their disheartening loss is extremely striking.
It was George Carlin who said war is nothing but “a whole lot of men standing out in a field waving their pricks at one another.” Huyer looks at that same human drive to compete with one another in an original, thoughtful, and talented manner.
Marcia Huyer’s inflatable exhibit, “What’s up there anyhow?,” is on display at Artcite, located at 109 University Ave. W., until Oct. 10.
Admission is free, but a donation is suggested. More information is available at www.artcite.ca.
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