Not only; but also is a web-based artwork by Sarah Gillett that takes us inside the body of a woman lying in the gardens of Rockingham Castle at night. The shape and folds of this fluid architectural cavity are defined by the contours of the dress she is wearing, as though this is a skin for a ghostly presence uncertain of its bodily limits.
Trapped inside this space, our experience is internal. We can pay attention to how the floor flows over the grass underneath her, how the walls and ceiling stretch taut over her ribcage, how the material of this space bunches and creases under her weight, how our breath begins to sync with hers.
Inspired by the tradition of the Anatomical Venus, lifesize reclining beauties made of wax conceived as a way to teach anatomy in the 1780s, complete with removable organs, Not only; but also offers a different view of an interior world where memory and dreams reign. In place of organs are objects from Sarah’s collection of historical curios: a bronze Venus de Milo; a millefiori paperweight, a steel tuning fork for the note of A; a bronze sphinx…
These personal treasures have been transformed in scale and appearance through digital rendering. Scanned into 3D objects by artist Dave Farnham for reimagining online, artist Sam Mattacott then built the artwork in Mozilla Hubs, manipulating all elements to Sarah’s vision of a living reliquary or shrine, a place of fragments and resonance.
Included within the original soundtrack created by Sarah is a hymn, Open My Eyes, That I May See, written by Clara H. Scott in 1895. This hymn usually opened the seances held in Rockingham in the 1930s. Sarah has rewritten the lyrics to reflect the importance of the senses in these sessions.
Not only; but also is part of a larger work created by Sarah for The Howse Shal Be Preserved exhibition at Rockingham Castle, exploring and revealing layers of myth and history. Read more here about how this work, the Minecraft-based Many hands make lightwork, and her physical installation at Rockingham combine to create the cohesive, epic narrative The flimsy copy.
How to enjoy Not only; but also
You can enjoy this online artwork on your desktop computer or smartphone, as long as you are connected to the internet. Just visit https://hub.link/a9vLCfR. Not only; but also supports any mixed reality headset so if you have access to any VR hardware (for example, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, a Daydream or cardboard viewer) then we recommend wearing it for a more immersive experience.
Controls
On desktop use your arrow keys to move around or:
W = forward
S= backwards
A = left
D = right
You can also press your right mouse button to teleport to a different location. Rotate your view using the Q and E keys, or hold down your left mouse button and drag. For VR and mobile controls see this list of Hubs controls.