Pierre Huyghe's latest installation, Liminals, is a disorienting experience that defies easy categorization. The artist has taken over the former boiler room of the 1950s power plant in East Berlin, now home to Berghain's techno club and sex club. As visitors make their way through the dimly lit space, they are enveloped by an immersive soundscape and visuals that blur the boundaries between reality and artifice.
The film on display appears to be a simple projection, but its impact is anything but mundane. The images are fragmented and disjointed, with the camera often focusing on abstract shapes and textures rather than traditional subjects. A figure emerges from the void, its features indistinct and unsettling. The sound design is equally disorienting, with whispers, murmurs, and scurrying sounds that add to the sense of unease.
Huyghe's work often explores themes of liminality – the threshold between states of being – and this installation is no exception. Visitors are asked to surrender their certainties and enter a world where past and present blur. The artist has stated that his intention was to "take one step towards cliché" but never two, suggesting a deliberate effort to challenge conventions.
As viewers navigate the space, they are forced to question what is happening on screen and in the physical environment around them. Is the figure being depicted by Huyghe actually human, or is it an avatar? The boundaries between reality and artifice become increasingly fluid, leaving the viewer to ponder the nature of perception itself.
Liminals has been compared to works by William de Kooning and Francis Bacon, with its use of distorted forms and eerie silhouettes. However, Huyghe's intention is not to evoke a specific aesthetic but rather to create an experience that is both unsettling and thought-provoking.
As the exhibition comes to a close on March 8th, visitors are left to grapple with the lingering presence of Liminals in their minds. The installation's effect is undeniable – it is both beautiful and terrifying, a testament to Huyghe's skill as an artist in creating immersive experiences that challenge our perceptions.
The film on display appears to be a simple projection, but its impact is anything but mundane. The images are fragmented and disjointed, with the camera often focusing on abstract shapes and textures rather than traditional subjects. A figure emerges from the void, its features indistinct and unsettling. The sound design is equally disorienting, with whispers, murmurs, and scurrying sounds that add to the sense of unease.
Huyghe's work often explores themes of liminality – the threshold between states of being – and this installation is no exception. Visitors are asked to surrender their certainties and enter a world where past and present blur. The artist has stated that his intention was to "take one step towards cliché" but never two, suggesting a deliberate effort to challenge conventions.
As viewers navigate the space, they are forced to question what is happening on screen and in the physical environment around them. Is the figure being depicted by Huyghe actually human, or is it an avatar? The boundaries between reality and artifice become increasingly fluid, leaving the viewer to ponder the nature of perception itself.
Liminals has been compared to works by William de Kooning and Francis Bacon, with its use of distorted forms and eerie silhouettes. However, Huyghe's intention is not to evoke a specific aesthetic but rather to create an experience that is both unsettling and thought-provoking.
As the exhibition comes to a close on March 8th, visitors are left to grapple with the lingering presence of Liminals in their minds. The installation's effect is undeniable – it is both beautiful and terrifying, a testament to Huyghe's skill as an artist in creating immersive experiences that challenge our perceptions.
I get that the artist is trying to push boundaries and all that jazz, but can't he just make something that's actually enjoyable to watch? The film on display is just so disjointed and random, it's like they took a bunch of old clips from horror movies and mashed them together. And don't even get me started on the sound design... it's like they're trying to torture us with all those creepy whispers and scurrying sounds. I'm not saying it's not thought-provoking or whatever, but can't we just have some chill vibes for once? I mean, who needs that much anxiety in their art experience? 
. I mean, I know everyone's gonna say it's super thought-provoking and all that, but I think it's just a bunch of mess. The art world is already so pretentious, we don't need some fancy installation making us question our perceptions even more 
. I mean, can't they just create something beautiful for once instead of trying to make us feel uncomfortable? It's like they're trying to take away our certainties and replace them with... nothing 
. Give me some good old-fashioned techno music any day over this pretentious nonsense 
but at the same time, you couldn't look away... it's like your brain is trying to process what's real and what's not? 
I loved how Pierre Huyghe played with our perceptions, making us question everything. It was like he took all the certainties out of the room and left us with just our doubts 
. The visuals were so trippy too... it was like being in a dream world where nothing made sense anymore 
. I'm not even sure if I'd call it 'art' or just some sort of masterful psychological experiment 
. anyway, can't stop thinking about it and I'm kinda glad the exhibition is over... my mind needs a break from all that cognitive dissonance 
, and I can see how it would be both beautiful and terrifying at the same time 
. I'm curious to know more about Pierre Huyghe's thought process behind creating this piece - what inspired him to take on this project? 
or maybe its just me, but i dunno if i'd wanna spend 2 hours in a room w/ all that weirdness 
i felt like my sense of reality was blurred for like an hour after i left the room i'm still trying to process what just happened 
like, i get pierre huyghe's trying to challenge our perceptions and all, but can't he just make somethin' pretty for once too? 
Liminals is just a bunch of weird sounds & visuals that'll give u nightmares 
. It's like you're not sure what's happening on screen or around you - is that figure human or a projection? 
, you know? It's like Huyghe is taking one step towards familiar territory and then just stops 
. And I love how he says "take one step towards cliché" - he's not trying to make this easily digestible or relatable 
. The comparison to de Kooning and Bacon is spot on, but it's like they're just a starting point for Huyghe to explore some darker corners 
. I'm not sure what the point of it all was, but that's kinda the point - to leave you feeling unsettled and lost 
.
and that film on display? straight up disorienting 
like what's real and whats not? the artist wants us to question perception, but i think we're already too used to having our minds blown by these types of experiences 
. I'm curious to see this installation for myself now! 
u feel like ur loosing ur grip on reality? that's what hughes does 2 u – he takes these cool visuals & sounds & puts them together in this immersive space thats like... another dimension or sumthin 
i mean its all about blurring the lines between reality and artifice and just making you question what's real and what's not... i can kinda see why it'd be compared to de kooning and bacon but idk if i'd wanna go through with that emotional rollercoaster tbh 
also, who thought its a good idea to take over someones old boiler room anyway? 
like what does he even want us to think? Anywayz, the installation is SO immersive, you feel like you're right there with this faceless figure 
. It's like, what's real and what's not, fam? 
. Like, what's the point of paying good money to walk into a room that's just gonna mess with my head? And don't even get me started on the whole "is it real or not" thing - can't we just stick to reality for once? 