It is an organic experience, one that captures all of your senses. It is a world of textures, of movement, of sounds and images. It is an experience of the emotions and the mind. We are invited to feel what words are not capable of projecting, to learn through our skin. This is the world according to Ann Hamilton. 

Since 1984, this American artist has presented many projects in different parts of the world. She is recognized as one of the most important artist of contemporary art. Hamilton has a unique diverse working style. Her work includes photography, video and objects. But despite these art forms, it is primarily her installations that made her most well known. Her latest exhibition, The Body and The Object: 1984-1996, is a retrospective of her work put together by the Wexner Center for the Arts. This exhibition was held at the Miami Art Museum in 1998 and at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal last January. Combining video, sound, film and a range of different materials, Hamilton’s installations are large-scaled and specific to the site of the exposition. They are famous not only because of the amount and the diversity of the materials used, but mostly because Hamilton can evoke human gesture and meaning within them. Every installation is more than just an exhibition. She uses the installation as an excuse to subject the viewer to a whole sensual experience. 

Her work could be interpreted as a form of physical poetry. She uses simple objects and presents actions in her exhibitions. These things help her externalize perception and sensual experiences to give us a different view of the world. In her works, she ritualizes certain human gestures through objects or with the help of human attendants who silently perform laborious and repetitive tasks. She also uses raw materials, such as honey or horse hair, cultural artifacts or mechanical devices to project metaphoric pieces of the existence. It also serves as a way to externalize what is felt or sensed outside the normally recognized means of communication. 

More than the art form itself, what truly fascinates about these installations is the whole philosophy that supports all of Hamilton's work. To her, words alone are not enough to understand the world. She believes words are merely feeding the mind, whereas knowledge must come from all the senses and through the body. Language alone cannot completely act as a communication medium because it cannot grasp knowledge in its entirety. The mind can serve as a great medium, but the senses (touch, smell, sight and hearing) can open up to a whole different view of the world, one that seems more complete than simple understanding. The overall effect is an awareness to the meaning of knowledge that compels the viewer to stop a moment and focus on his or her own humanity. 
 

Émilie listens to blues, swing and other under-appreciated musical genres. She spends way too much time in front of the TV and in her sister's wardrobe, but not much on the phone. Fortunately, this should leave her enough time to choose her next article topic. Look for her column in the next issue of Purr.