Tate St. Ives

Rivane Neuenschwander - I Wish Your Wish

I Wish Your Wish is an exhibition by Rivane Neuenschwander that is part of the Images Moving Out Onto Space collection currently showing at the Tate St. Ives until 27th September. Neuenschwander is 'interested in the permanent state of change the works are in' often inviting the public to interact with the pieces. This piece stems from traditional pilgrims to the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Brazil, where it is believed your wish would come true when a ribbon that was bound to your wrist with three knots falls off. The exhibition consists of sixty wishes from local residents written on a piece of ribbon. As part of the interaction we are invited to take one of these wishes to tie around our wrists but also replace it with your own wish.

I loved the exhibition and the concept behind it. I really enjoyed reading what people had wished for, it almost gave you an insight into how the individual feels about themselves and their life. Here is a selection of what people had wished for:

'I wish for financial security'
'I wish for an easy death'
'I wish for a wonderful apartment and amazing friends to share with'
'I wish people could live where they like regardless of where they come from'
'I wish my desire'
'I wish I could be a man for a day (I am a woman)'

It was super fun to walk around and read what people had wished for and it was great that you could take one and replace it with your own. I loved that interaction and the idea that the exhibition is taken outside the gallery space into the streets, villages and towns surrounding the Tate St. Ives.