Grant Mooney Connects the Audience To the Idea Of Connectivity
27.06.2025
The artist's recent exhibition at Chisenhale grants the viewer the opportunity to observe site-specific sculptures through a personal perception of the history of the material with which Mooney works. It subsequently refers to the form of the exhibits and the very idea of their creation.
The exhibition's title, "sphere music," only vaguely hints at its premise - I walked into the exhibition space with no idea of what is to be expected. Without a single presupposition, I entered Chisenhale's space. In a large room with concrete flooring, there were pieces of metal. A multitude of objects scattered across the floor – poles, rolled-up pieces of what looked like sheets of steel, grey mechanical devices resembling projectors or boat motor pieces. The whole picture hinted to the exhibition being in the middle of instalment, or, for a lack of better wording, as if the exhibition was in the middle of being taken down. The only things hinting at the fact that it was the finalised setup, were the beams, pointed at the floor‘centrepieces’
(Grant Mooney; sphere music 2025)
One of these pieces was a pile of rolled and warped steel sheets - the three of them were stacked onto each other like the people in Zhang Huan’s performance ‘To Add One Meter to an Anonymous Mountain’ (1995), where performance artists created a one-meter stack atop of a mountain. (YINGHUA LU , 2010) Comparing plates of steel - inanimate and cold objects, to human figures, instantly gave me the idea of this cross-translation of biological and industrial through shape. Walking past the ‘sheet mountains’, I stumbled upon a concoction of what looked like engines, two of them were laid out at my feet.
Made of metal, plastic, and rubber, put on a concrete floor - they were static, almost frosty. However, my gaze softened as I imagined how and when these could be applied, both put to use, and the possible movements that could be extracted out of the said objects in action. The experience was kinetic - the revving motor sound went through my ears into the building, filling the room with the deafening resonance. The questions of “what are these” and “why” quickly pivoted in the direction of silence in understanding - a full immersion.
Captivated by the view of the floor, I walked across the room, only to discover that, as I turn backwards, I will see rectangular sculptures, disguising themselves as screens. I never grasped what they were - those seemed to be paintings, or, perhaps, some kind of prints, placed atop of a lit-up screen. The colour was ambiguous, yet in-your-face – a yellow backdrop with burgundy red stripes scattered around it. While adding a captivating colour profile to the installation, these ‘screens’ seemed rather confusing, and out of place. I left the exhibit wondering what space in my head these would take, and how they are connected to the ‘main’ objects present in the space.
(Grant Mooney; sphere music 2025)
Grant Mooney’s “sphere music” presents the audience with clear objects and good visibility of the installation, all while suggesting a vision of a “playground” all at once. Exploring the space, I found myself captivated by the possibilities of the objects presented, as well as their relationship to each other, and human nature. Mooney created a bridge between ‘organic’ and ‘artificial’, which, when you get a chance of walking upon, follows you for some time.
Grant Mooney; sphere music (2025) Chisenhale Gallery. Available at: https://chisenhale.org.uk/project/grant-mooney/#grant-mooney-gallery-close (Accessed: 20 February 2026).
YINGHUA LU , C. (2010) How it Appears , Frieze . Available at: https://www.frieze.com/article/how-it-appears (Accessed: 20 February 2026).