‘Fifth Wheel’ exhibit features interactive ‘Moby Dick’ whale
February 16, 2016
The opening reception of “The Fifth Wheel” in the Linfield Gallery was a success.
The exhibit will be in the Linfield Gallery from Feb. 10 through March 19.
The star of the show: a 20 foot whale.
It isn’t just any whale, but there are four bean bags in its mouth to relax in and a secret tunnel down the back of the throat and out the side.
Viewers should be cautious when entering this exhibit. There is a delicate design laid out on the floor of the gallery that is created with loose salt. Viewers are to keep their feet and hands off the design.
There is a hand-drawn animation of Captain Ahab talking to the head of Moby Dick on the deck. On the opposite wall, a net made out of several different materials is suspended over the viewers’ heads.
The artists of the exhibit are Sarah Nance, Julia Oldham, Alanna Risse and Jane Schiffhauer. They will be paneling at an artist talk on Saturday, March 12, at 5 p.m.
The exhibit is heavily inspired by a passage from the famous novel “Moby Dick” titled “The Fifth Wheel.” The passage suggests that the human soul is not necessary. A soul’s a sort of a fifth wheel to a wagon.