This installation emerged from the artist’s desire to create art that could heal and inspire hope in a world overshadowed by nuclear fears and Cold War tensions. As co-founder of Germany’s ZERO group, Piene sought to reject traditional forms of expression and embrace new materials and technologies. Against this backdrop of post-war renewal, he developed his sun projections as symbols of regeneration and peace.

Originally performed at New York’s Black Gate Theatre, hand-painted slides projected through carousel projectors are combined with Piene’s own narration in this ground-breaking work. Visitors today can still hear the artist’s voice through the speakers, creating a striking connection spanning several decades. His military-style command words guide us through shifting patterns of light, transforming the gallery into an ambiguous space of fear and hope, the secret shrine of coloured suns and cosmic imagery.

The work represents a pivotal moment in ‘expanded cinema’, a movement in the 1960s that pushed film and projection beyond traditional boundaries. While Piene once painted slides by hand, six digital projectors are used in today’s installation, with his original vision remaining unchanged: countering destruction with beauty, and war with peace. This evolution of the technology demonstrates the adaptive nature of artistic vision, while preserving its essential meaning and transforming spaces into an immersive environment of light that conveys layers of different emotions.

(Barnabás Bencsik)