The Visible Invisible
Prototype, Installation
Abstract
»Before scientific methods were known, it was usual to explain phenomena in nature by means of mythological beings: A vast number of gods. Goddesses, demigods, demons, capricious fairies, and so on governed arbitrarily; they were responsible for all phenomena in the forest and field. Statements were clothed in the form of myths, which used metaphors, symbols, poetic images, allegories and parables.«
»These mythological concepts (pictures) of reality have been undermined and replaced by the scientific method. Natural science in particular has fundamentally changed man's conception of reality. Modern physics has become the basis of natural science and it has had strong influence on almost all aspects of human society.« *
The work »The Visible Invisible« reflects the artist's studies of contemporary philosophical literature on the subject of reality. This results in an experimental installation setup, questioning the possibilities and impossibili- ties of our »perception« and human senses.
An ordinary overhead-projector projects a white square onto a wall. The projection contains a hidden message invisible to the naked eye. A mirror placed to the opposite side of the room reflects the projection scenery, decoding the sentence »Dass es mir – oder allen – so scheint, daraus folgt nicht, dass es so ist« (eng: »Merely because to me - or to everyone - it seems to be so, it doesn't imply that it is so«), quoting Ludwig J. J. Wittgenstein – Austrian philosopher.
Technical principle
1.
First and second polarisation filters are aligned to 0°.
Light is able to pass through the first and the second filter.
First polarisation filter is aligned to 0°, second one to 90°.
Light passes the first filter but gets blocked by the second one.
Light passes through the first filter, and width the help of a
lambda/4 foilpartials getting rotated in their polarisation by 90°.
Actually this is how the »The Visible Invisible« projection setup is constituted.
The first filter stays on top of the the projector – it's a special prepared transparency.
The second filter covers the mirror and separates the 'background' from the typography.