Jocelyne Prince, Disco Ball aka Caustic Virus, 2000

In Disco Ball for the New Millennium, AKA Caustic Virus old house windows are used to construct an icosahedron shape. Each window frame, besides being altered in shape, is being subjected to one major stress point on the glass itself via the pointing system used to hold the glass in the frame. This iscosahedron rotates slowly on a disco ball motor and a cinematic effect is played out on the vintage projector screens that line the periphery. The phenomenon of caustic surface reflection brings into image the stress points as they roll by on the screens.

On another level this piece has come out of research on the body and the microscopic goings-on of stress related viral manifestations. The icosahedron, within the discipline of virology, is a schematic signifier for the adenovirus (HIV and Herpes having the most notoriety). Hopefully, the leap from the subtle, yet potentially pane snapping, application of pressure onto the glass to the actual cause and effect of stress on our lives and bodies is approachable. That the invisible goings-on of the stressed glass can parallel the invisible accumulation of stress in our bodies and lives, that this seemingly hideous reality can, at moments, bring us to points of resolute clarity and beauty.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• eyelevel
• gallery
• jocelyne prince
• disco
• caustic
• virus
• installation

[jocelyneprince]

Thanks - the tapping sound is integral to the piece - it is the sound of the turning motor.

[x2plusy2plusz2isr2]

whoa- really nice piece.

what's the tapping in the background? is that generated by the movement of the sculpture, or is it a separate soundtrack?