Claudia Bueno x Glenmorangie: Lit Neurons Within the Fibrespace

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  12 Aug 2013 in Design

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Venezuelan Claudia Bueno is the artist responsible for Fibrespace, the first ever site-specific light art installation in KL that happens to be an extension of Glenmorangie’s “Unnecessarily Well Made” mantra. The installation involves handcrafted structures and sculptures that mimic the fibre underneath our grey matter. Giving ‘life’ to these art structures are video and light projections that simulate neurons travelling through the stringy fibres of all living organisms’ thoughts. To understand more, we spoke to Claudia…

Hiya Claudia! If you weren’t doing arts, what would you be doing?
I know what I wouldn’t be! I don’t see myself working in a confined space or office kind of work. I’ve always enjoyed creating my own schedule because I have my own space, I work within my dynamic. I’m very used to that so it’s hard to picture myself in a corporate world.

What inspired you to do this collection?
This is where it gets complicated. This is called Fibrespace, the idea came from Wei Ling suggesting to do an installation piece in the gallery. An installation that’s thought out for a specific space, it’s called site-specific. This proposal was designed for Brickfields Wei Ling Gallery, taking in consideration the characteristics and distinctive space. There’s a history that comes into the space so you kind of evaluate all of that and try to come up with an idea that would link to the space. Something that doesn’t come imposing on the space but something that grows out of the space. Also, an installation is a genre of art that hasn’t been explored in Malaysia.

My work has always been a reflection of my surroundings and things from outside that filter through. This time I wanted to go inside and try to portray something that would echo the brain and the thought process in which I go through. When you try to develop a project you become very alert and the brain becomes a sponge and it absorbs any stimuli that it can pick up. And those stimuli trigger this crazy outpour of thoughts that pumps and flashes through your head. A lot of them are useless and you have to be able to recognise which has potential. That’s how the creative process goes for me and other people I’m sure.

Since you’re starting from a blank page – what do you want to say? What do you want to recreate for the viewers? And I realised that this process was exactly what I wanted to portray. I was immersed into this world of images from the nervous system and brain activity. It was an unknown world to me and I’m still learning a lot from it but as I deepened into it, I started imagining walking through a world inhabited with these images, as I describe it; “If you could travel through your own nervous system, what would it look like?”

Which piece do you want to be remembered by?
Hopefully this one. Fibrespace is my biggest installation piece ever. It’s not about the size but everything that’s been involved in this project makes it a very mature and solid project.

Why did you choose to work with Glenmorangie?
It was a combination of luck, coincidence, and good timing. We knew that this was going to be an ambitious project so the gallery started seeking help and sponsors as we needed someone to back us up. With Glenmorangie’s background and tagline, “Unnecessarily Well Made”, they took interest in the work and found common links between the art I was going to present and Glenmorangie’s pursuit of perfection in creating the world’s most delicious single malt whiskies. So the partnership came from there and I think it’s a very strong link to fusion two worlds that wouldn’t usually connect.

What should people attending this event expect?
I would like people to be excited to see something new and unknown, like something you experience for the first time. I’d like for people to understand that art can be displayed in various ways. There’s a traditional concept of art but today, you can use anything as there are no limits. So I would like for people to come in and understand this installation is a whole category of art that’s being developed around the world by many artists and it’s great to have a chance to do that in Malaysia. I want curiosity. I would love them to be curious.

Open to public, Fibrespace presented by Claudia Bueno, launched on 30 July, is held till 30 October at Wei-Ling Gallery located at No. 8, Jalan Scott, Brickfields. Opens on Monday to Thursday from 10am-7pm, Friday from 11am-7pm, and Saturday from 10am-5pm.