A living infographic created with blank museum walls, multitudes of willing art lovers, and a box of Sharpies! Yeah, Roman Ondák’s Measuring The Universe is kinda like that:
Measuring the Universe is a participatory artwork that evolves over the course of the exhibition, as museum attendants measure each visitor’s height and inscribe it on the gallery walls. Based on the tradition of marking a child’s height on doorframes as he or she grows, Measuring the Universe begins with empty white walls; however, as the exhibition progresses, the surface gradually darkens as the attendants record the presence of potentially thousands of museumgoers. The work is an ever-evolving wall drawing that is both a public performance and a collective document.
Measuring The Universe is on display through January 9th as part of Taking Place at Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum. More details here and here.
Image credits: Top photo by Fabio Bruna (CC-BY-SA), bottom photo by Darren Milligan (CC-BY-NC-SA).