The Starry Messenger was a convention recently held at and was a prelude to the exhibition at the Venice Biennale. In anticipation of the Biennale this summer, Aesthetica spoke to Williams about his plans for the exhibition, and what it means to be representing Wales at the internationally renowned art event.
A: So what are you working on for the Biennale?
BW: The work is about the subject of amateur astronomy, from how people look at the tiniest particles to how they look at what鈥檚 beyond…the micro and the cosmic world.
A: What inspired you to look into astronomy?
BW: I went to an old church with terrazzo flooring and it had those little particles of glass and marble on it. I thought about the people who had worshipped there. Maybe they stared into the floor and perhaps lost themselves in the particles, if say, they were bored at a sermon. And then I thought about Galileo, who presented his telescope to the Dolge in Venice, which was the first place he showed it. Incidentally terrazzo is also thought to be invented in Venice.
A: With historical references and your interest in star gazing, how did those ideas develop together?
BW: So I thought about people staring into the terrazzo, which is like a universe made of tiny particles. This led me to consider the things that you can鈥檛 see, as well as what鈥檚 visible. Then I thought that in a church a telescope is a kind of 鈥渆nemy鈥 in a way. The church wouldn鈥檛 necessarily encourage you to look too far out of space, nor too much into inner space. So without giving too much away that鈥檚 what makes the core of the work for Venice.
A: Some people may say they don鈥檛 know how to react to your work 鈥 caught between humour and seriousness. While you鈥檙e describing getting lost in space as a starting point for your creations, how do you feel about your audience鈥檚 reaction as bewildered or perplexed while experiencing your work?
BW: When you鈥檙e not sure of what feeling you鈥檙e meant to have, that鈥檚 what I like the audience to experience. I like the viewer or reader to feel like they鈥檙e in an in-between state.
A: Have you felt lost at any time preparing for the Biennale?
BW: I don鈥檛 know, really. Venice as a place makes the experience of working towards the Biennale feel like something out of a fairy tale…and in turn, the project focuses on an amateur astronomer. It鈥檚 about the wonder of the universe: looking out to this thing that you can鈥檛 touch, affect or change in any way. It鈥檚 quite beautiful, astronomy. And in this project I鈥檓 building on the idea of looking out and thinking about your place in the universe.
A: Well Venice seems like a very appropriate place for this work…
BW: Yes. It鈥檚 also to do with finding yourself in a place as well. I鈥檓 from a tiny village in North Wales, and being in Venice will mean I鈥檒l feel part of an 鈥渁rt universe鈥. Albeit tiny, I鈥檒l be part of the art cosmos.
A: Conceptually, there鈥檚 a comparison to be made between the cosmos and cyber space. You鈥檙e quite active on Twitter. Is there a link between the way you approach your work and the how you chose to communicate with people?
BW: If you work provincially, the internet gives you a 鈥渕etro鈥 presence so it doesn鈥檛 matter anymore where you are. We had a flood in the village and I tweeted a picture that ended up on the BBC; I like that thing that if you say something about something that it gets ping-ponged around the internet.
A: So interesting times ahead for you then?
BW: It feels like things are coming into the here and now, you know? The pieces for Venice are being built now…it鈥檚 all just very exciting.
Asana Greenstreet
Credit: The Starry Messenger, Bedwyr Williams. Designed by 脜b盲ke. Courtesy Wales in Venic Cymru yn Fenis 2013.
