Single-channel video/sound installation
“I take the liberty, as artists do, of declaring lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to be the artistic experience *par excellence*.”
With this provocative statement, Gary Hill addresses the audience directly in his “found performance,” drawing on Marcel Duchamp’s concept of the *Objet trouvé* or *Readymade* and inviting viewers to participate in his psychedelic thought experiment.
Even though the promised spectacle and the supposedly “life-changing” LSD trip never materialize, the audience’s physical and psychological perception is nevertheless noticeably unsettled during the performance. This effect is achieved through the lack of clear temporal and spatial orientation, the movable seating, as well as the incomprehensible narrative and disturbing actions.
Gary Hill’s appearance in the video resembles that of a mad scientist, alchemist, or magician who, in a laboratory setting, painstakingly assembles a folded table and a molecular model from elements randomly scattered throughout the space. The specially designed seats, modeled on the structure of an LSD molecule, reinforce the impression of being part of an experimental setup.
Albert Einstein famously used thought experiments as a scientific tool in developing his theory of relativity, allowing him to simulate complex relationships theoretically. Alongside Marcel Duchamp’s idea of the Readymade, Gary Hill’s installation also draws upon this scientific tradition. Thus, *The Psychedelic Thought Experiment* is less concerned with the psychedelic intoxication itself than with the potential of such an experience in relation to art. Analogous to the sciences and their experimental arrangements, the task of art is to create the conceptual framework for extraordinary and consciousness-altering experiences.
Elena Engelbrechter (Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg)
Gary Hill (b. 1951, Santa Monica, CA) has worked with a broad range of media – including sculpture, sound, video, installation and performance – since the early 1970s. His longtime work with intermedia continues to explore an array of issues ranging from the physicality of language, synesthesia, and perceptual conundrums to ontological space and viewer interactivity. Exhibitions of his work have been presented at museums and institutions worldwide, including solo exhibitions at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Guggenheim Museum SoHo, New York; Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Basel; Museu d’Art Contemporani, Barcelona; and Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, among others.
Webpage: www.garyhill.com
Instagram: @garyhillstudio
Courtesy of the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg
On view from September 26. until October 11. at: HAUNT
Photo: The Psychedelic Gedankenexperimen, exhibition view, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, 2024