The Collective Gallery’s relocation to Calton Hill was always a bold but positive move, writes Rhys Fullerton. With this being one of Edinburgh’s top attractions, they are now guaranteed visitors but the question is: Will the visitors stay and take a closer look?
The latest exhibition here is by David Osbaldeston, a London-based artist whose work often takes a sideways glance into established forms of communication. He is interested in language as a form of depiction for fictional spaces to unfold, and as a basis for alternative readings.
This exhibition, titled The Measure of All Things, consists of a series of photographs, sculptural works, drawings and stop-frame animation. The centrepiece is a large table with 3D printed objects positioned on top. These objects – fruit, a lightbulb, a plug, an egg and a magnifying glass – are surrounded by pencil notations and it appears to be set out like a philosopher’s table, a form on image recognition. It reminded me more of a war table; it is as if Osbaldeston is mapping out a philosopher’s mind like generals used to map out a war.
The 3D objects appear polished and perfect but they are lifeless and have no character. Questions arise about this new technology: Can we breathe life into a 3D printed object which hasn’t been handcrafted and isn’t natural? Is 3D printing an art form? As a centrepiece, this didn't work for me. It didn’t draw me in and this wasn’t the measure of all things in the way the title suggests.
What did work were the framed photo pieces. One photo pictured a lightbulb with the words ‘1mm = A flash of inspiration’ underneath. Another pictured a lemon and said ‘1 ounce = The weight of sleep’, and another, an egg with the words ‘A hectare = The gap between the clouds above at this moment in time’. These humorous descriptions could be seen as asking us how can we measure inspiration, imagination, consciousness and even life.
Throughout my time in the gallery, many visitors came and went without actually paying any attention to the works. The artwork that Collective now exhibit needs to draw us in more than ever and David Osbaldeston’s exhibition tries but falls slightly short.
I admire the exhibition’s boldness and it’s great that The Collective is giving a voice to contemporary art. They are never going to produce a populist exhibition for the sake of it; they are always going to challenge visitors as this is what they have always tried to do. '1 KG = A WEIGHT OF EXPECTATION' is how one of the pieces puts it, and this could be seen as my weight of expectation for the gallery. I hope that they can draw in the crowds and keep them there for a little bit longer in future.
David Osbaldeston’s The Measure of All Things continues at The City Dome, Calton Hill, until 27 April.
Photo credits: (top-right) David Osbaldeston,The Weight of Expectation, 2014, courtesy of the artist and Matts Gallery, commissioned by Collective; (installation shot, middle) Installation, 2014, photo by Tom Nolan, commissioned by Collective.