The exploratory work on the lighting of the vitrine is now concluded at this stage. The final lighting states will be set once the tanks are filled and the haze levels set. The ‘sublime’ tank is now side-lit with 4 x 15W pygmy bulbs producing a promising shadowy ambience from partial shading of the tank side. Side, top and oblique lighting was experimented with using small diameter fluorescent tubes and LED lamps with an assortment of gel colours. The most promising colour effect was from a pale yellow filter at low lighting levels. I am now aiming for a ‘murky yellow’ look and plan to add the colour to the water rather than via external gels. I am currently sourcing a support system for the tanks.
The next job was to start making the ‘fear’ piece. This could be considered as either a ‘macro maquette’ or a ‘mini installation’ It consists of a 1m cube (containg a rear-projection system) to be supported on a cantilever out from a steel staircase and landing. From the cube, a tube extends down to around shoulder level. The viewer (wearing a pair of headphones) places their head into the tube and looks up to see “the sky” through a round hole above their head. They will hear the sound of a concrete slab grinding towards the opening and then see the slab sliding into place and ‘sealing them in’ in darkness. After a few seconds and via a jump-cut, what had been a concrete block is now revealed as the existing ceiling space above them. The intention of the piece is to explore the replacement of something potentially unpleasant by the normality of the actual studio space they are in, thus mimicking the ‘sublime experience’.
This piece had originally been conceived as a room installation but this was a practical way to test the concept.
