Production

2006. Gustav Hellberg. PULSING PATH: AMBIGUOUS VISION (texto publicado)

 
Controlling the street lamps along a street to make its light into a pulsing effect.

The oscillating light of the street lamps in Pulsing Path activates the lane and gives it a behaviour separating it from ‘normal’ lanes; its expression is transformed and becomes displaced. This raises questions about states of normality and the uncertainty surrounding human existence, even if we have always tried to master the world by structuring it.

The inertia of change, the aging of humans and changes in society, makes it difficult to discover its course or even to be aware of it. Pulsing Path is playing with the awareness of the surroundings, the perception of it and the memory of its appearance. A street and its lighting might not be what you think. Are we always sure where a path is leading? Is seeing an object an evidence of its existence?


LIGHT MAKES THINGS VISIBLE IN THE DARK

Light can be bright, dim or totally absent. In our contemporary world we are used to artificial light reducing darkness. We somewhat rely on it to always be there. What if it suddenly disappears or if it instead of illuminating creates a visual effect fooling your mind, creating different visions?


VISION

Following the path and seeing a clear direction can become uncertain. Like the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland the path normaly lit up by street lamps slides out of visual focus just to get back as bright as ever.

“`In THAT direction,- the Cat said, waving its right paw round- lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction- waving the other paw- lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad.”

 

 

 

 

 

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