We’re Setting Light to Brentford

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Boris Johnson to Open Kinetic Installation at Watermans

 

GEOMETRY is a kinetic installation which exploits wind-farm technology to drive two masts which cross (one vertically one horizontally) 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 will be projected from the Watermans building onto the horizontal mast and reflected from 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 metres

• It is going to light up the night sky over Watermans for most of 2012.
• It will be seen for miles around including from all the planes landing at nearby Heathrow
• It will act as a digital art portal to our amazing Festival of Digital Art

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 has been created by the brilliant French artist Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves

Félicie d'Estienne d'Orves 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. The installation will be opened by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London on Thursday 2 February and will run until the end of September 2012

Technical support has been provided by environmental engineering company Bonfiglioli who provided the motors for the installation. Watermans would also like to acknowledge the contribution of David Simpson of Show Laser Systems for the laser technology.

 

January 31, 2012