Viewers encounter what appear to be two intersecting experimental setups constructed from simple materials. Each centres around a single element suspended between mirrors, polarisers, and light boxes: a long sheet of plastic hung from the ceiling in the one, and a complex polyhedron in the other. As viewers move through the installation and approach the elements from different perspectives, they glimpse surprising colours that were not at first visible. The iridescent hues result from the same combination of polarising filters and birefringent materials as in the previous artwork. In this installation, however, the trajectory of the gaze is considerably more involved, as the mirrors reveal angles, relationships, and colours that the viewer cannot otherwise see.
Suspended along one angle is a long, rippling sheet of plastic. A light box integrated into the polariser on the far wall illuminates the plastic sheet with polarised light. An oscillating fan positioned beneath the sheet keeps it in constant motion, so that the surface unleashes a vibrant display of colour when it is viewed from certain vantage points.
The polyhedron that acts as the second point of focus was derived from a three-dimensional aperiodic tiling system. Rhombohedral forms were combined to create a complex structure that is elusively symmetrical. Some of the faces, which are all identical golden rhombi, incorporate transparent panes of birefringent material. When viewed in isolation, the polyhedron appears clear and empty, but positioned between the polarisers, it comes to life. Juxtaposed at various angles to one another, the faces conjure a range of colours that change as the form rotates and as the viewer moves around to examine the work.
Artwork details | |
Title |
Seeing a surprise before it’s reduced, split, and then further reduced |
Year |
2025 |
Materials |
Mirror film, plastic (BOPP) film, polarisation filters, altered oscillating fan, electrical ballast, metal, wood, LEDs, fluorescent lights |