www.simonwhetham.co.uk
Chiaroscuro project development at Kimonos Art Center and Rally Space, Paphos, Cyprus
"Chiaroscuro", literally meaning 'light-dark' in Italian, is used to refer to the balance of light and darkness in paintings. As I was selected as one of three artists for the residency programme at Kimonos Art Center, run by visual artists Charalambos Margaritis and Yiannis Sakellis, I felt the project should reflect the nature of their work. It became clear that the project was concerned with light and dark, even from the first days where I noticed the rapid sunset around 5pm that suddenly plunged us into darkness.
The project incorporated and reused donated and discarded light fixtures and lamps, plus a faulty projector, which were all triggered by sound impulses. These sounds were recorded in various locations in Paphos such as the harbour and the busy streets, but I also investigated the presence of electromagnetic waves in and around the art centre with the newly acquired Soma 'Ether' sensor. These sounds reanimated my collection of motor devices, but also activated a subwoofer speaker. When sound sensor units that were attached to an Arduino were placed inside the speaker and a sound vibrated the cone, this set off one of three sets of switches that triggered the mains powered lamps, motor and projector.
The images above show (left) me rehearsing the presentation at Rally Space, (centre) the blank projector output positioned to accentuate the architecture of the space, plus the dark shape in the middle is the shadow cast by a rotating reflective dome, and (right) a grainy image of the first performances of "Channelling" I managed to transmit to the mini TV kindly donated to me by Emmanuel at La Générale Nord Est, Paris.
The residency was not only an opportunity to make a new work, but also my chance to incorporate this cute little TV set into my live setup somehow, although it only has an analogue input. I did a little research and found that I could send a signal to it by using a digital to analogue converter and then send this signal to an RF modulator unit. I should have then been able to use a TV antenna to transmit the signal, but I had better results adapting a coaxial cable to minijack and plugging it directly into the input. Tuning in to the channel broadcast by the modulator isn't so easy but once I had it the picture was pretty sharp.
The video on the left shows the transmission of the original "Channelling" performance through the mini TV. The video on the right shows the TV then intentionally glitching which adds a little chaos to the setup, but also makes some very nice sounds when it does so.
I added the glitching effect to the TV so that it fits with the overarching malfunctioning and unpredictability aspects of the project, but as I stated above it also adds a sound element I was not expecting.
This development was carried out in tandem with using sensors and relay switches with Arduino, exploring what was possible as I had started to use relays and sensors extensively with the earlier project "Orchestrated Obsolescence". I particularly wanted to have the relays triggered by sound impulses, and to activate mains powered devices. Charalambos and Yiannis dug out all manner of old technology left behind by previous artists-in-residence, and the main pieces I worked with were two fluorescent lamps, a projector and a slow-turning mains powered motor. I also found some house clearance object outside a nearby house which gave me two lightbulb holders and a 5.1 surround sound speaker system.
The video on the left shows my messy workspace but also how the lightbulbs are activated by sound. The one on the right shows how I used this activation technique in the performance presentation.
I was lucky enough to be able to begin installation a few days before the presentations as it allowed me to find the best positions for the speakers (Rally Space is very reverberant and detail could be lost very easily with amplified sound), and also to most effectively position the various lights. The blank projection was the first and easiest, the angle of the beam luckily hit the staircase and pillar perfectly. The fluorescent lamps were more difficult to place as there was some remaining furniture in the space when I initially set up. But then placing them behind the pillar facing in opposite directions once again accentuated the space but also altered it depending on which lamp was activated.
The video titles are self explanatory. These shots were all taken the day before the final presentation.
The conditions for the opening event were perfect - a great and attentive (and quite large!) audience, darkness but not pitch black, no noisy muscle cars outside revving their engines or people chatting (which happened on occasion while setting up). And the response was very positive. My work is not so radical but for many it was the first time to experience something like this and I felt the project was appreciated.
I want to thank Rafaella Constantinou at Rally Space for hosting the presentation, Charalambos Charalambous for some road trips in and out of Paphos (taking in some great local food and views), and Charalambos and Yiannis for selecting me for the residency programme, supporting my project and being so accommodating.
The residency was one of three "Episkeptes" residencies at Kimonos Art Center. Curated by Yiannis Sakellis.
