ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS ONE
The proposed 3-D installation art is designed to transform the audience’s perception of space and experience through visual, mechanical, and auditory interactions. The concept is inspired by the formula “one plus one equals one” suggested by Arvo Pärt in some of his musical compositions and by the artist’s own childhood memory of entering Oscar Niemeyer’s cathedral in the UNESCO World Heritage city Brasilia. “Upon entering the building, the stained glass that clads the building threw dancing shadows on the floor; inside the space, everyone walked around in a state of awe”, the artist stated. This installation has the intention of bringing some of that feeling of incredulity and reflection.
The installation will be able to achieve this impact within the spectator through various elements. The overall structure will measure 8.5 feet wide by 17 feet long and 9 feet at the highest point. The plywood pointed arches will be connected at the top creating a tunnel like passageway where motion sensors (measuring 3 inches diameter) will light up as spectators pass by. The archway will be forming a gentle curve sitting on a base of the same material in the format of the vesica piscis (intersection of two circles with the same radius). The curved structure and the canvas act as stained glasses and the motion sensor lighting system creating shadows on the ceiling and the floor will allow the viewers to have a new awareness of the space.
A screen will be positioned on each side of the arches projecting images of sacred geometry rendering while music from Arvo Pärt plays in the background that were inspired by the formula mentioned previously, called “tintinnabuli”, which is reminiscent of bells ringing.
Description of Tintinnabulation, by Arvo Pärt:
Tintinnabulation is an area I sometimes wander into when I am searching for answers - in my life, my music, my work. In my dark hours, I have the certain feeling that everything outside this one thing has no meaning. The complex and many-faceted only confuses me, and I must search for unity. What is it, this one thing, and how do I find my way to it? Traces of this perfect thing appear in many guises - and everything that is unimportant falls away. Tintinnabulation is like this. . . . The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabulation.
The combination of these elements—geometric drawings, arches, shadows, and music—will transform the physical space and allow each spectator to move beyond their temporal experience into a state of contemplation, interaction and entering a place of unity.