Late last year we were approached by Julia Muggenburg, owner/director of the Belmacz Gallery in London, about presenting the Safecast project as part of their Bodikon exhibition, which opened on January 17, 2017 and runs through March 17, 2017. Many active Safecast volunteers are artists, musicians, or designers, and we often think about the implications of what we do in the broader context of history and culture. Though we’re confident of the bGeigie Nano’s appeal as a groundbreaking design object, we’ve avoided claiming that it is actually a work of art. But what is the art potential of a project like ours? We’re thankful that Julia has the vision to help us explore this.
The name “Bodikon” comes from a Japanese pop term for “body-conscious,” i.e. close-fitting and revealing fashion that became popular in Japan in the late 1980’s Tokyo disco scene. The Bodikon exhibition presents an extremely creative and diverse take on issues of the body and human identity as both a physical and mythical presence. In this context, the bGeigie serves as an enigmatic manifestation of invisible forces in the world – like radiation – which can affect the body and health, and also affect us psychologically and emotionally. The curators decided to display the bGeigie simply, hanging from its strap near the gallery entrance. In addition, artist Diego Miguel Mirabella selected text fragments from the Safecast blog to include in a group of printed textual pieces.
From the start, Julia made it clear that she wanted to support and publicize Safecast, and gallery staff are on hand to provide more information about our project to visitors who express interest. We’re incredibly thankful for the unique exposure this provides. The Nano which is on display was lent by the French environmental NPO Iffo-RME , and was built by a volunteer in Paris and shipped to London.
We hope that friends and supporters who are in London will find time to visit the exhibition and let us know what they think.
(Images courtesy of Belmacz and the Artists. More description of the exhibition and photos here).
Belmacz Gallery
45 Davies Street
London W1K 4LX
Tel: +44 (0)20 7629 7863
Fax: +44 (0)20 7318 1575
