CARSTEN NICOLAI: reflektor distortion, 2016
How do we reshape the image of reality to make it fit in more smoothly with our own ideas and what we are used to? What does this distorted image say about how our own perception works, and what does it reveal about us?
Carsten Nicolai’s works are often organised around situations that focus on factors disturbing usual forms of perception or creative processes distorting our perception of reality. In his reflektor distortion, the image of fluorescent tubes is reflected on the surface of the water in a bowl placed in front of them. This reflection is constantly distorted and transformed by the rotation of the bowl and the low-frequency sound vibrations coming from speakers. On the surface of the water, which is moved in a circular motion by the centrifugal force, the interferences of the waves created by the sound vibrations produce different distortions and reshape the image reflected from the strictly parallel fluorescent tubes and the reality around us.
Borbála Szalai
CARSTEN NICOLAI: yes/no, 2008
Can sound be visualised as an object?
Carsten Nicolai’s yes/no represents the sound vibrations of two spoken words as elaborately crafted aluminium objects, thus making the sculptural character of sound visible. Instead of focusing on the difference between the content of the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’, the sculpture emphasises the frequency differences resulting from the different sounds.
The starting point of the two sculptures were the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’ from a performance recorded by musician-performer Laurie Anderson. Although the content- and meaning-oriented texts are one of the most important characteristics of Laurie Anderson’s art, in Nicolai’s work her words have no meaning but rather appear to be answers to questions not asked.
Borbála Szalai
