Broken Homes: Andrew MacKenzie

In his article about Callum Morton's 2007 Biennale work, Valhalla, Andrew MacKenzie warns against reading the work as either a comment on contemporary war or in literal reference to the artist's biographical story. He argues that the broken home of Valhalla is "border country" , between public and private, the real and the constructed. MacKenzie notes that the scale of the work is important in allowing an audience to engage spatially, and for Morton to deal with the concepts of interiority and exteriority more directly. Mackenzie describes the work as "theme park size", a surprisingly evocative description that suggests a space which people can inhabit but are somewhat removed from reality. Mackenzie describes the effect as unsettling and alienating. Interestingly, despite writing a pointed and interesting piece, MacKenzie acknowledges that he has not actually experienced the work first hand.