August 18, 2004

Cloaca by Wim Delvoye. Probably [NSFW].

Pictures of cloaca here.

posted by varj 20 years ago
  • my first thought was that it was Cloaca, the first play of the Old Vic's new season, directed by Kevin Spacey. Very confused. Now just bemused.
  • . Sort of.
  • I knew this had been on here, but a (fairly cursory) search failed to turn it up. What was your search term(s), mare?
  • Wheee, my first double post, sort of.
  • It was my own post, so searching for it was easy. A friend of mine is the official photographer for the artist, and travels to every exhibition to take 3D stereo pictures. The artist wants to make a Viewmaster catalogue of his work. He makes wicked land art too.
  • I saw "Cloaca" at MASS MoCA a few years ago. Very, very amazing. Beautiful metaphor. And it works! Too cool. It looked like a cartoon machine. At about the same time they were showing The Uberorgan. Totally wonderful.
  • He could accomplish the same thing by hiring someone (a 'performance artist') to sit and eat and take a dump in a bucket, all for the audience's enjoyment. Could someone explain how this is art? Now the Uberorgan- that's cool.
  • I don't think it's the same thing at all. Dude-- He made a MACHINE. That DIGESTS FOOD. And POOPS. That's really, really amazing. (To me.) Is it art? Depends on what you think art is. I saw it in a gallery and it gave me a feeling of wonder. I guess that's art to me.
  • I saw Cloaca when it was in New York 2 yrs ago, and I had some of the same thoughts too, Zebediah. I think what is interesting about Cloaca is how it isn't a person. The device is such an elaborate and built up system that does a ridicously common act we all do every day. And it doesn't really do it. It simulates shit, and it doesn't always work. When I saw it in the gallery it was "constipated" and they had to get someone to fiddle with it. They were feeding it gourmet meals delivered from the restaurant down the block. They even had a menu out so you could see what it was "eating." Anyway after the rich food and the adjustments it made a hydraulic noise and cannoned out a little turd onto the conveyor. It was all kind of a let down. And then I spoke to the guard for the museum and asked them what they did with product and they flushed it down the toilet. Cloaca seems to be about the spectacle of art and how even shit will draw attention. I personally liked. This guy was ahead of the curve.
  • I love that Manzoni. A little tin full of shit. In other news on other threads, Alnedra has tins of tea. I report, it decides.
  • I think Cloaca is a lovely word. But to have it associated with tea. Guh.