The Hayward Gallery at Southbank Centre is one of my favourite galleries in London. It is actually quite big as a gallery space and was built in the late 60s so it has thick concrete walls, I consider it more like a museum. The quality of the shows is excellent and always interesting, I find they are willing to take risks. One of the shows I saw this year was Carsten Höller‘s where I got to spend a whole night night at the museum and experience the work in private. I first arrived at the museum at night from the secondary entrance where security is located. I was showed around the museum by a lovely guide, she explained in detail about some of the different works and was able to direct us to indulge us in taking a couple of rides. I was able to sleep on a surprisingly very comfortable roaming bed.
I understand the concept behind the show which is all about forcing the visitor out of their comfort zone to see and feel things differently by disorientating the senses. Some of the works taken individually are quite strong and made me think, while the other works were quite simple and literal and I had experienced them in different ways in other situations that did not have anything to do with art. The show as a whole might not be compelling enough for someone used to extreme sports for example but it does put some basic assumptions about the world into question by using the latest technology which will look outdated soon so we must take the fundamentals into consideration and think about changing perspectives. This is probably the most fun I have ever had at an art show. My favourite architectural piece of the show were the Isometric slides build on the side of the building. I took some pictures against a dramatic sky before entering the building.