Recent art has tried and failed to capture the Internet in a physical space, but perhaps in the impossible walls of Colchester uber-contemporary Firstsite gallery, David Watkins’ Simultaneous Experience can do just that.
Akin to works such as Laurence Lek’s Unreal Estate, the Southend artist provides a unique interpretation of the new media space. Unfortunately the space it’s in dominates the exhibition.
It sits in the depths of Firstsite’s white-walled spiral sits the, obscured by the gallery cafe. Only by picking a way through discarded cups and lemon drizzle cake can the art be accessed proper.
But, like logging on with a 90s modem, something good lies at the end of the struggle.
Deliberately unnamed works draw the eye on imaginary paths across the canvas, linking nodes in black ink and finding connections where there originally were none. Organic synapse shapes contrast against the crisp lines of sharp architectural drawing and create a sense of the dynamism that goes into connecting a globe of fleshy beings.
The scale and detail are stunning and ask to be looked at from six inches as much as they do six feet. It is simply a shame and a failure that the distance is not afforded to you by the bizarre curation of the exhibition.
This is Watkins first solo exhibition and one wonders if the works would have garnered more respect had this not been the case. Interesting and daring as the pieces are, there is no escaping the awkwardness of where they sit in the gallery.
Perhaps this uneasiness with the physical space is always going to taint artistic ideas of the Internet. But Watkins’ work comes close to being a great success with only the gallery itself letting him down. This artist needs to be seen, capturing something ethereal with aplomb; just don’t see him at Firstsite.
