2022, Video installation, 12 min, B/W projection, seven objects, in collaboration with Emi Kodama.

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“Like many of us, the island longs to go somewhere warm,” begins the voiceover. When the island heads out on vacation, it leaves behind a doppelganger made of clouds to preserve the coastal landscape.

The seven objects presented in the installation are excess wax and resin deposits found in a 3D printer. Molten waste material, solidified and clumped together when cooled, are ancient stalagmites in a high-tech machine. Because they were objects without intent nor a digital source file, they were given both. The surfaces were 3D-scanned and scaled to become immaterial islands in the video.

The objects, arranged like an archipelago in the space, rest on black acrylic sheets that are mounted on microphone stands. Each object is lit by a light that moves on rails. The lights are synchronized with the video and take the place of the camera. Only one light is on at a time and illuminates the object that is showing in the video. This setup attempts to bridge the gap between the flat surface of a video projection and an installation of objects in space, connecting the digital and physical worlds.

The image of the island was created for the white surfaces of the objects through the story, and viewers can project their imagination onto it. The island is anthropomorphized to become the main character in the story, and instead of being a holiday destination, goes on holiday itself.

The piece ‘1-100’ by Michael Nyman is the musical counterpart to the installation. The composition is a sequence of sustained chords, and when the pianist can no longer hear a chord, the next one is played. In this installation, the piece is played by a computer that listens to itself. A digital interpretation of the piece has been created, and the chords float like islands in an archipelago.

This video installation includes objects into a cinematic experience. It tests the various states in which objects can reside – from the physical, across the mental, to the digital. The objects transform from a fragile original to an indestructible 3D scan. Wax, bytes, a script, and light. The objects, in view of each other yet separate, long to travel through appearances and states of matter.

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the-archipelago-08-quentin-chevrier © Quentin Chevrier

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Writing and narration: Emi Kodama
Video: Elias Heuninck
Music: '1-100' (1976) by Michael Nyman, performed by a computer
Produced by: Werktank & Flemish community
The Archipelago is part of Tools For Things And Ideas, a research project at KASK & Conservatorium which is financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

The Archipelago has been shown at
KIKK festival, Namur, 26-29 October, 2023
Viernulvier, Ghent, 3-11 March, 2023 - Women and children first festival
Buda, Kortrijk, October 20 - November 11 2022 - Wonder
iMal, Brussels, January 22 - February 6 2022 - Tools For Things And Ideas
School of Arts, Ghent, November 26 - December 8 2019 - Group exhibition W're Out Phishin', Work in progress-version

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© Michelle Geerardyn

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© Michelle Geerardyn