SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.-The Art Gallery of New South Wales presents Sphere of Influence, on view November 22-25, 2007. The planet earth is the subject of Jon Rose’s installation, sphere of influence, which is an interactive ball game featuring a 2.4 metre ball, the movements of which manipulate both sound and image.

Images of performance artist Aku Kadogo (the human ball) are projected onto the large ball and walls of the gallery along with ancient philosophical axioms: "what nourishes me, destroys me", "shit happens" and "death is everything’s final limit". A violinist plays as the ball moves through space.

Composer and installation artist, Jon Rose, says sphere of influence has a clear environmental message: that the planet (the ball on which we survive) is in bad shape. A ball in sport is traditionally subjected to kicking, throwing and hitting with sticks, an uncomfortable parallel with the beaten world we are flogging to death.

A ball flying through space has an inherent mystery; it replicates our lonely and insecure position in the universe. From the youngest age we all recognise the universality and truth of the user-friendly ball. It's global.

To sport fans the ball verges on being a sacred object: the ball game - a religious rite. Bill Shankly, the legendary manager of the Liverpool soccer club, was once asked if football was a matter of life and death. "No," he said, "It's more important than that."

Bill was right. The earth is our favourite ball, and it's in trouble.

Sphere of influence puts our species centre stage, the ball becomes human and the human becomes ball. The ball suffers abuse and misuse. In this scenario, our treatment of the ball renders Mother Earth as battered wife. The projected figure of Aku Kadogo wildly spinning on her haunches conveys a powerful impression of a damaged planet.

Nullum gratuitum prandium There is no free lunch
Quod me nutruit me destruit What nourishes me, destroys me
Stercus accidit Shit happens
Mors ultima linea rerum est Death is everything's final limit

Performance times - Wednesday 21 November 7.15pm (launch), Friday 23 November 2pm, 4pm, Saturday 24 November 2pm, 4pm, Sunday 25 November 2pm, 4pm.