Nathaniel Mellors is a British-born, Amsterdam-based artist whose work entitled “Hippy Dialects (Ourhouse)” is currently on exhibit at the 2011 Venice Art Biennale. The piece is an animatronic sculpture of two heads engaged in a schizophrenic dialogue which can ranges from humorous to disturbing. The parenthetical “Ourhouse” in the title is a reference to a video work done by Mellors, which Design Boom calls a “surrealist sitcom about an eccentric family featuring two central figures, ‘Daddy’ and ‘the object’.” “Happy Dialects” is in fact two versions of the Daddy character (one in blue and one in yellow, connected by hair). The face is actually a cast of the actor who plays Daddy in the film, and the animatronic structure within brings the characters to life. What can be described as a “pep talk” occurs between the two heads (i.e. “God, you’re looking buff. No seriously, you look great!” and “Cool, you are cool!”). The exchange wraps up with one head saying “Yes” and the other head saying “No.”
The 54th Venice Art Biennale runs until November 27, 2011. For more of the best in design, art, product design, and much more be sure to visit Design Boom (all images © Design Boom).
