Hollow

Hollow was an immersive exhibition which toured across Wales in 2016. It explored the equal and opposite actions of excavation and construction and to give voice to ‘what is left in the emptiness?

We constantly displace material. Small children construct dens, play with Lego and get lost in computer games such as Minecraft and even smaller ones are content with digging holes in sand or clay. Our desire to displace material and to re-configure it is a defining act of creativity. Hollow sought to explore this fundamental construction of culture. And further to consider ‘mines as cultural mirrors.’

Hollow was a sculptural installation of cardboard boxes that connected together with magnets to create a large hollow into which the public were invited. This cardboard ‘mine’ was built on an acrylic mirrored floor that reflected the form above, completing it as a container of space. There was an equal and opposite amount of extracted ‘ore’ in the form of loose cardboard boxes that invited playful investigation and construction. These provided extensive opportunities for the public to play with the interactive elements of the magnetic cardboard boxes – stacking and forming, hollowing and collapsing.

Supported by the Arts Council of Wales and Wales Arts International.