Dane Mitchell

Cleansed Corner (An Energetic Field), 2011 presents a conjured presence, or, more specifically, a non-presence, through the service of a spiritual practitioner requested to 'cleanse' a given space by means of a ritual practice and the casting of a spell.

 

Central to the work is the notion of conjuring. Just as ideas are conjured things, Cleansed Corner (An Energetic Field), 2011, too, is a sort of conjured form; it seeks to test the potential power of effecting space with the unseen, making the invisible active, and 'charging' the invisible.

 

No less important than the casting of the spell will be the safe closure at the closure of the exhibition. All of this activity takes place during installation and de-installation — the viewer is confronted with signage and a delineated space that point to the invisible activity and the resultant invocation. This might allow for some intellectual uncertainty, where we're confronted with the unknown affect of an unseen ritual.

 

There is a deliberate ambiguous tone to the exploration, in which, we as viewers are asked to consider the imaginative and analytical scope of the unseen and to consider the visual power of the unseen and its visual power — disappearance, after all, is a strong force both politically and aesthetically.

 

Although the spell may be delineated, the question is always, how much does it spill over and to what extent do the laws of spell casting to those of the museum?