Spin

by: Jonathan Laguna

       Spin is a series of work by artist Pascal Dombis, he is a worldly renowned Digital artist whose practices uses technologies and algorithms to create excessive amounts of data and information to produce sequences of motions, looking for the unexpected in terms of visual forms and “surprises” as this artist puts it [1]. Is this unexpectedness and mistakes the he uses as he’s material to create shapes and building experiences. Which he displays in a very traditional gallery style arrangement playing with the viewer experience in the form of multiple viewpoints and their perception the sense that what the viewer see in not actually what is the picture but there are multiple levels of meaning.

This multiplicity of meaning becomes clear when we look at Pascal work title  “Blue Screen of Death, Pascal Dombis” [2]. Here we see a screen displaying blue and white lights mimicking a wave swaying side to side as thought it is a blue sheet of silk being light up on its left side, by a very bright light. As time proceeds and the viewer is grasped by this wave, this connection comes to an end by distortion in the form of glitches. Bits of date that were not displays correctly by a reason unknown by the viewer. Yet this simple manner breaks the viewers experience and is taken back to reality. There again playing with the unexpected and mistakes.  

Another example of this would be Pascal work title “line_wave”[3]. This consists of video installations subsequently earlier then the previous work I talked about but a shared similarity is well defined in the method both are displayed and this continue recreation natural arrangements on screens and the breaching of code to create chaos as though impaling a ritual of rebellious act yet still contain within the confinements of a screen or frame. Furthermore the similarity in the usage of blue lights is still significantly critical in his work, blue being perceive by western societies as a pacific, calming and flowing color this is primarily why blue is put next to white as symbols of peace, for instance the use of this colors in the United Nation flag. This well defines usage of symbolism further reinforce a sense of anarchy I personally feel when looking at Pascal’s work. However another aspect I find consistence in his work is the usage of geometric lines both rational and irrational. Curiously this conflicts with my original thoughts of anarchy and to become thoughts of restriction and boundaries.

Nevertheless  “Spin” [4], consists of pieces of digital generative art of hypnotic spirals inspired by Marcel Duchamp work on spirals in the first part on of 20th century. These spirals simulate hypnotic structures by depicting countless circles spinning in such a way that the more they spin, the more they multiply until becoming hectic and into a void image and then looping back again in an end less routine. Here Pascal focuses his attention on a problem of how we can use algorithmic codes on generative art to build a visual environment that can represent sensation such as vertigo, vortex or infinitude. 

Is this manner to tackle this issue I find inspirational and which to and answer mine in my new project in which I am looking at the symbology of a circle and the association of it with infinity, time and hysteria. Notion given to me by Argentine writer Jose Hernandez in his epic poem title La vuelta de Martin Fierro [5] where he claims that time is endless and does a comprising of it to a circle. He then adds that the need for man to divide time is only the necessity of to knowing what we have already lived and what is left for as to live. And is this impression of time, life and numbers I want to tackle in the sense of hysteria.  

An issue I need to resolve now is how to express this. I find reasonable to say Pascal Dombis combines the traditional and new technologies in a unique way deprived from boundaries and fear and continuously inviting the audience in interaction in a meaning full way. And is this mindset I want to have when working for a method of communicating my impression of the quote I mention earlier.

References 

www.dombis.com/works/spin/

[1] www.youtube.com/Interview with Pascal Dombis at Art Plural Gallery, Singapore/ publish on Feb 15, 2015 by Art Plural Gallery.

[2] www.youtube.com/ Blue Screen of Death, Pascal Dombis/ Publish on Jan 5, 2014 by Pascal Dombis.

[3] www.youtube.com/ Pascal Dombis, Line_Wave/ publish on Jun 11, 2012 by Pascal Dombis.

[4] www.youtube.com/ Pascal Dombis, spin (2006)/ Publish on  Dec 11, 2012 by Pascal Dombis.

[5] La vuelta de Martin Fierro / Chapter 30/ Publish on 1879 by writer Jose Hernandez