Dot the Spot
Big, bold and impossible to ignore.
The original Spot was introduced to the world on Tamarama Beach in 2024 for Sydney’s Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. The colouring and patterns seen on the Spot use dermoscopic images of real skin cancers.
Over its 3 week residence on Tamarama Beach, the Spot replicated the growth of a melanoma. It grew to about 14 x 10 metres square with 3,000 litres of water as ballast to ensure The Spot could withstand sand, wind, rain and the harsh Australian sun.
The Spot was recognised with multiple awards for creativity and ingenuity. It also featured heavily in news media and of course, on the socials.
MSCAN was grateful to be given the opportunity to partner with Matthew Aberline at the Beautiful and Useful Studio, the creator of The Spot, to redesign The Spot into a portable, lightweight and tactile sculpture.
The Spot has been completely rebuilt from the recycled parts of the old spot so that she can travel to meetings, conferences and events, both indoors and outdoors.
We affectionately call her Dot the Spot.
Want to invite Dot to your event?
You can rent MSCAN’s giant portable melanoma installation! This unforgettable, interactive artwork is a guaranteed crowd-puller and conversation-starter for conferences, health expos or corporate health days.
At first glance, the viewer is surprised by the unexpected scene. Some viewers are repulsed by the shape, colours and size of Dot, but then the viewer becomes curious. What does this sculpture represent and why is it in this space? What message can I see in her? Do I want to know? As the viewer starts to understand and conceptualise what Dot represents, they think about their own skin cancer risk, whether a Dot might be on their skin and what they can do about it.
The immediate impact of Dot is measurable and obvious. The value of Dot is in the memories and conversations that instigate the viewer and their network to look at their own skin and think ‘am I skin serious?’
Get in touch if you are interested in having Dot join your team for a day or more.
