The conceit of this particular work could also be imagined as an ambitious proposal, a proposal for an environment in which to view art, it reflects what I see as an increasing demand among both artists and viewers for new or altered ways of looking at art. What you see in the installation is the detritus of an experiment involving sensory deprivation using flotation tanks and dry chambers. I would like to envisage here a situation where one day perhaps we could have whole batteries of flotation tanks in the basement of the M.O.M.A -Step in from the street , step into a tank (For an adequate time period), step out, ride an escalator to another floor and step into the art. I want to emphasize that the most important aspect of this experiment for me at the moment is how it inspires and affects my working methods. I would hope any critique of the project would center on the notion of its potential for altered working methods in art as well as the potential for altered ways of seeing art.

Outside Art, Inside the Black Room 1. Introduction 2. The Installation 3. Background 4. The Eye Scan Project 5. Art and Environment 6. The S.D. Tank Vs. the 'Motor/Stimulus Deprivation' Chamber 7. The Tank as a Tool for Aesthetic Awareness

Copyright © 1996 Peter Mackay
mackaypeter@hotmail.com