Exhibitions | Geometry
is setting light to Brentford
Wednesday 1 February - Wednesday 12 September 2012
Dawn - 12 midnight
- Llighting up the night sky for most of 2012.
- Seen for miles around
- A digital art portal to the amazing Festival of Digital Art
2012
The installation uses light as a means of communication and is
inspired by such communication devices as light houses,
military signal lights and the Morse code. The interplay of the
different movements of the sculpture create a symbolic language of
communication between the sculpture and the viewer
GEOMETRY is a kinetic installation which
exploits wind-farm technology to drive two masts which cross on
which mirrors are attached. The pre-programmed mirrors turn on a
horizontal axis and in so doing create geometrical movement. The
reflection of the sky in the mirrored blades and the movement of
the sculpture itself create different kinetic effects according to
the time of the day and season.
At nightfall the signal is reinforced through projections of laser
light from the horizontal mast. Laser lines are projected from the
Watermans building onto the horizontal mast and reflected from the
surface of the sky. The programming of the movement of the
sculpture means that geometrical forms are created and reach into
the sky to a height of more than 20 m.
GEOMETRY has been created by the brilliant
French artist Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves. The images are ©
Julien Lanoo
Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves www.feliciedestiennedorves.com explores the
meaning and impact of light through her work. She uses light and
sound technologies to create a mysterious art of beauty and power,
challenging the boundaries of her materials and our own perceptions
of them. The resulting kinetic work appears frameless and seems to
possess a life of its own. Her audience is invited to engage in
both the works' seductive simplicity and delve into their complex
layers of mystery.
"A creator of phenomena, Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves is
interested in how light affects our understanding of reality. Based
in the realm of contemporary kinetic art, her works result in a
loss of that which is familiar, which allows the artist to distance
herself from questions of subjectivity and to put perception of
reality back into play. Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves' installations
set the scene with luminous colors and video-projections on
sculptures. Her art is optical; it creates experiences where the
real and the virtual blend together in a mixed reality."
Key examples of D'Estienne d'Orves' work include Gong:
a resonant, pulsating, often frightening work from her Cosmos
Series in 2009 and Monolithe, in 2008, which stands like a
futuristic needle-point surrounded by ancient spiritual drama and
was presented at Paris' all-night art happening, Nuit Blanche.
In 2004, Félicie founded the in-visible collective, a
conceptual multi-media studio, In-visible - http://in-visible.fr/ http://felicie.metaproject.net/
GEOMETRY was made possible with a grant from The Mayor of
London's Outer London Fund and is supported by The London Borough
of Hounslow.
Technical support has been provided by Mechatronic company
Bonfiglioli who delivered the motor solutions for the installation.
Watermans would also like to acknowledge the contribution of David
Simpson of Show Laser Systems for the laser technology, Michel
Delarasse and the Institut Français
