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Simon Cavanough
Location CBD
Date Late 2007, days following rain

Title When it Rains We Will All Drift Away

Simon Cavanough constructed an inflatable cloud from discarded umbrella skins. Installed randomly through out the city, the vibrant form drew attention to the monochrome, sterile and impersonal atmosphere of inner city corporate regions. The cloud-like balloon can be seen as a symbol of escapism, suggesting potential ascension from the frantic pace of the city and also served as a reminder of our earth-bound condition. These playful interventions, wistful in gesture, temporarily transformed the urban landscape.

Biography
Simon Cavanough’s uncanny kinetic sculptures seem constantly on the verge of ascension. Experimenting with everyday materials, the artist constructs elaborate machinations that seem to inhale and exhale before our eyes. Air compressors animate parachute fabric, miniature pylons support unwieldy vapours and rockets flail over Sydney tips. The gentle irony of Cavanough’s playful inventions and happenings are their futility; their lack of function or flight. Engineered to transcend logic and technological advancement, these structures offer valuable insights into our predisposed ideas of progress.


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