Alejandro Borsani: 90° South
Artist(s):
Title:
- 90° South
Exhibition:
Creation Year:
- 2010
Category:
Artist Statement:
In 90° South, Borsani attempts to create the experience of a constantly changing landscape by building a system with an unpredictable emergent topography. For Borsani, “all the knowledge of the world is gained from our own particular points of view, or from some experience of the world without which the symbols of science would be meaningless. In order to find new possibilities, we must begin by reawakening the basic experience of the world of which words are the second-order expression. Wonderment is critical, since it allows for continued curiosity to this basic experience and thus creates the possibility for change.
Borsani’s work is an active exploration of the nature of perception and media representation in the form of sculptures, installations, and environments. With non-spectacular technologies he creates ambiguous moments between the event and the effect so the viewer may experience an instant where rational reflection, bodily experimentation, and emotional contemplation become indivisible. He is fascinated by the idea of using physical phenomena as the main materials for his installations. Borsani’s most recent work uses gravity, heat, cold, and chemical reactions to investigate how human beings deal with the inorganic, wordless nature of their environments.
Technical Information:
Alejandro Borsani’s 90° South provides a contemplative point of view that allows the viewer to witness and be immersed in the constant evolution of a growing landscape. The work utilizes an irrigation system in conjunction with a highly absorbent material (sodium polyacrylate) to produce a slowly emerging landscape. A thin layer of the white material is placed on top of a round surface. When water reaches the surface, the sodium polyacrylate expands 300 times, producing subtle undulations. The profiles of these miniature mountains are projected onto the walls of the gallery using a flashlight attached to a rotating mechanism.
