Episode 10

Edition of 5 + 2 AP

Dimensions: 83,0cm x 139,0cm
Transparency in light-box, custom glass panel, window frame

EPISODE SYNOPSIS

She was raised online, nurtured by social networks, and when the time was right she irreversibly popped into offline existence with an explosion of colours and flavours. After countless waves of battles against oppressing forces, The Bubble Queen unchained herself to reclaim her bodily autonomy and right of self-determination. Or so the legend goes…

VIVARIUM

Vivarium is an ongoing series of constructed dioramas, called Episodes. In the creation of these worlds Hardy fuses his imagination, personal memories and true events into ‘purposeful fiction’. Together, Vivarium’s Episodes explore the coherence and complexity of our zeitgeist.

For each Episode, Hardy designs, builds and photographs a new world in his studio. His photomontages are shown life-size - one-to-one - in a lightbox with a window frame, resulting in hyper-realistic works that spark a direct encounter between the viewer and the subject. 

As Hardy places one or more characters in a meticulously arranged setting, he merges ambivalent, melancholic scenes of private moments in the public, with social issues such as conspiracy thinking, racial profiling, and pre-defined gender identities. By addressing a different topic in each Episode while applying a consistent working method, Vivarium is an expanding multiverse of portals where life takes place.

Each constructed tableau takes 3 to 4 months to complete. Vivarium is an ongoing project that Hardy started in 2018.