Can’t See The Universe

In the video AFTER TIEPOLO his heavenly sky populated by allegorical figures is gradually being filled by planets, stars and galaxies. But human production is on the rise: skyscrapers and power plants are supplanting Tiepolo’s dealers, artisans and craftsmen until the buildings tower high in the sky and obscure their view. Our knowledge of the universe could lead to spiritual expansion, but most of the time we only have our own and our works in view.

In the looping video CROSS AND PLANE TO SPACE, on the other hand, the centralist and hierarchically constructed Baroque painting competes with non-representational, flat compositions from 1932 by Sophie Taeuber-Arp. The different interpretations of art enter into competition and dialogue, influence and interpenetrate each other. In light of the current triumphant advance of virtual 3D worlds, the animation reflects the history of illusionism (religious conceptions of the afterlife as early virtual worlds) and its alleged overcoming in the modern age. CROSS AND PLANE TO SPACE is a stereoscopic 3D animation, but is shown in Tübingen as a 2D version. Three light boxes show spatial lenticular prints of the same theme.