“Entering the exhibition, I was drawn immediately towards its luminous anterior chamber: moving through the cool, purple-grey Venetian plaster vestibule and narrow, dim corridor, I emerged enveloped in a pinkish glow and surrounded by sculptural objects that appeared suspended in mid-air. The experience was wholly disorienting, and produced in me a sensation akin to floating. It was only later that I realized I had moved through the mind’s eye to end up in the belly: all gut reactions and odd sensations.” — Justine Kohleal, p94

The 10th in the Power Plant Pages series, this publication documents Beth Stuart’s exhibition Length, Breadth, Thickness and—Duration, was held at The Power Plant from September 15 to December 30, 2018, curated by Justine Kohleal.

At the core of the exhibition is Stuart’s interest in the reclamation of public space by unruly bodies and ideas that push back against established norms. Stuart engages with the Victorian-era bathing machine, which to the artist represents an oppressive architecture of control and exclusion. On the South Terrace of The Power Plant, Stuart offers up her own bathing machine, a self-critical structure open to new uses and interpretations. Inside the gallery, a series of plaster sculptures recall the garment patterns of twentieth century French fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet – known for developing some of the first transitional beach fashion for women. In this exhibition, Stuart reconsiders the aesthetic and moral codes from the past and how they persist in the spaces we inhabit today.

The publication features an interview between Beth Stuart and Lucy Lippard, essays by Angie Keefer and Justine Kohleal, as well as a forward by The Power Plant’s Director, Gaëtane Verna.

Product Information

Publisher: The Power Plant

Year: 2020

Pages: 112

Illustrations: 48 colour illustrations

Dimensions: 19.5 x 15 cm, hardcover

Other Information:

The Power Plant is committed to sustainable publishing. This publication is printed locally on 100% post-consumer, chlorine-free, FSC-certified paper.