January 24, 2009 - March 28, 2009 // OTIS Ben Maltz Gallery, Los Angeles
The Future Imaginary
Susan Simpson
project  |  about the artist

Imagine My Delight

Imagine My Delight is an exploration of the confluence of thrill and terror. It was inspired by an image of a partially submerged ferris wheel featured in The Imaginary 20th Century . This illustration of an engineering fantasy struck me as the epitome of life-threatening American exuberance. While a turbulent thrill is evoked, water boarding comes to mind as well.

The camera inside the ferris wheel car records a rider's perspective and broadcasts it to a separate area of the gallery, intentionally distancing a disorienting internal experience from the sunnier exterior experience of operating the wheel.