We recently visited Doug Aitken: New Era at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney. American artist Doug Aitken born in 1968 is internationally recognised for his ambitious contemporary approach and we saw how he displayed objects, installations, photos and videos as well as multi-screen immersions within as he calls it ‘a kaleidoscope of moving imagery and sound’. We loved every minute of New Era!

Doug Aitken: New Era - MCA Sydney - Review — Photo credit: @busycitykids

It is interesting to take children to art galleries as it can sometimes feel like a gamble, kids surprise me and are taken by the experience in a different way as they are not as subjective as an adult would be to the art. I witnessed this when we visited Mona in Hobart April last year. I also find contemporary art easier for them to appreciate in general.

Doug Aitken as the MCA brief explains uses light, reflection and multiplication to mesmerise visitors. His works lead us into a world where time, space and memory are fluid concepts and I must say it made us rather relaxed too!

Doug Aitken’s Mirage house was particularly interesting, a house set in the Southern California desert with reflective mirrored surfaces which makes this piece of artwork ever changing due to the weather and the day & night rhythm and everything happening around it. Visitors can visit the house too as well as admire it.

The Sonic Pavilion was also interesting as visitors are invited to listen to the sounds of the earth from a hole in its center running 700 feet deep down below the earth of this interesting house.

New Era is a three channel video installation projection with mirrors around the room reflecting the projection. New Era looks towards the future by looking at the past and shows the story of Martin Cooper who invented the first mobile phone in 1973 and how that changed our lives from being cable bound to nomadic and how this is evident in our daily lives and how our use of technology is part of us.

Little Miss was taken by the work and stayed in the spaces longer than she has in past exhibitions, admiring the work and soaking it all in. Her brother did enjoy some of the video and sound installations especially Migration (empire) where animals occupy motel rooms that represent one of the same but with the animals left to explore things change. The video installation is staggered across three unique steel aluminium billboard sculptures.

Little Miss and I really enjoyed Sonic Fountain II which was inspired by the water around Sydney Harbour flow of water and the tides. This is a very interesting installation of live sound on an endless and repetitive loop created by a computer controlled fountain dripping water at different intervals and strengths, water drops into a milky white water pool around a crater.

Our other favourite piece of this exhibition was Underwater Pavilions where Doug Aitken shows on a three screen projection an alternate world where an artwork is submerged below the ocean surface where viewers would have to swim to participate in the art and experience a heightened perception as he describes it. We loved how schools of fish would visit the artwork and our favourite was the seal visiting too - so cute and it felt like the seal enjoyed the art too.

End/Run was particularly interesting and the kids enjoyed looking through versions of themselves through the mirror rectangle.

Last but not least, SONG 1 is another piece of the Doug Aitken: New Era exhibition which is a seven channel video installation on a 360-degree screen. This is located on the ground level near the entrances and you should definitely experience and it take the time to watch the movies sit in the centre but also walk around the screen.

We really enjoyed Doug Aitken: New Era and I look forward to visiting again before it ends on the 6th of February 2022. I lost myself in this exhibition as the installations captivate me in ways and made me forget about the pandemic which has overtaken our lives over the last two years, it was nice to enjoy art again. I recommend visiting this exhibition in person to truly appreciate Doug Aitken’s work.

Busy City Kids were hosted by the MCA for the purposes of a review. Travel & parking was self funded. All opinions & feedback are genuine & truthful.

For more information about Doug Aitken: New Era at MCA Sydney, head here. You can also view an online opening and overview of the exhibition as well as snippets of the major art works on display explained by the artist and curator.

Doug Aitken: New Era - MCA Sydney - Review

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