Aptly titled What’s That?, the five-metre-tall figure that will be taking up residence at Portside Wharf forms part of a larger roaming installation by Amanda – one designed to get humans to take a step back and feel a moment of humility. This crouching figure is one of a brood of giant inflatable luminous white ‘humanoids’ who land at different sites across the globe. The artist’s inspiration for the piece comes from the 1973 Czech/French film Fantastic Planet (La Planète Sauvage), a dystopian tale featuring gargantuan humanoids that have overrun a human race gone feral – quite the pertinent theme for the current social climate. The main thing that Amanda wants observers to take away from the installation – apart from wonder and awe at the sheer size of it – is the experience of a flipped script where people are the most vulnerable species on Earth.

For those who are keen to see the humanoid at its illuminated best, you can make a night of it and book dinner at one of Portside Wharf’s tasty riverside dining destinations. Whether you’re in the mood for something casual to take away (so you can eat right next to the artwork) or if you’d prefer to get a bit fancy with a wine-and-dine experience by the water, there are oodles of tastebud-tempting cuisines on offer. If you’re really itching to catch up on your culture dosage post lockdown, Dendy Cinemas is screening a cracking selection of new-release hits as well as more indie flicks – the installation is in action 24/7, so there’s plenty of time to marvel in its majesty either before or after your evening activities.  

Keen to see this primo piece of art for yourself (and get that obligatory ‘gram content, of course)? What’s That? will touch down at Portside Wharf from August 31 to September 26 – so catch it before it crawls off to its next destination.

This article was created with our good friends at Portside Wharf.