Eyesore or thought-provoking art? ... Schneider's 21 Beach Cells on Bondi beach
Australia prides itself on its laid-back, egalitarian lifestyle so it is a jolt to see a complex of steel cages erected on Bondi beach, practically a sacred spot for Australians. Called 21 Beach Cells, it is the latest installation by German artist Gregor Schneider, whose work provokes debate on issues such as terrorism, asylum and immigration. Each 4sq-metre cell has an inflatable mattress, a beach umbrella and a garbage bag, ready for backpackers and local people to go inside and use the space.
When I arrive, the beach is packed with sun worshippers but only a few intrepid souls are venturing inside this strange complex set up on the sand. Entering the first cell, the whole thing feels silly at first. I put my towel down on the blue inflatable mattress but the sun is too hot so I get back up, unlatch another door and go into the next cell. A bikini-clad girl and her boyfriend are in an identical one. We exchange a few words, none of us quite sure what this is all about. It's when you go deeper into the complex, moving from cell to cell, that it becomes an interesting experience.
The entire structure is open to the sky so I can still feel the sun on my face and see and hear the waves crashing on the shore. Looking out at people sunbathing, swimming or surfing in the sea from behind the bars of my cell is a disconcerting feeling, however. It is total isolation in the middle of a crowd. The noises and colours of Bondi suddenly seem more intense. As I try to exit, I find some doors are blocked off, increasing the sense of confusion and confinement. It's a relief to be outside again.
Some people have objected to contemporary art on Australia's most iconic beach, calling it an eyesore and a waste of space. "Inappropriate. Bondi is open and free," wrote John Teitelson in the visitor's book. Another visitor remarked that a foreigner had no right to make any kind of pronouncement on the Australian way of life. Other people have been confused about what it's all for, asking if they can rent a cell in the belief that it is some new kind of tanning experience. But the book was also full of positive comments: Nick Roberts termed it "a valuable crystalisation of the concerns of Australians about their relationship with the rest of the world." Other people said it will highlight the plight of refugees and asylum seekers in a country that takes an unashamedly tough stance against anyone trying to reach the country illegally.
Schneider, whose previous installations have included "houses of horror" in Whitechapel and a work called white torture that replicated interrogation rooms in Guantanamo Bay, says he chose Bondi because the beach is an essential part of the Australian national identity. He says he is glad that it is provoking debate. 21 Beach Cells will be on Bondi for only a month so the installation is unlikely to become a much loved part of the scenery like Antony Gormley's Crosby beach figures. But I really enjoyed it and it's good to see art in such an unlikely place.
