CSILLA SZILÁGYI & LÁSZLÓ PAPP PALA
MOSAIC EYE OPHANIM
interactive pseudo-kinetic sculpture-installation
glass, concrete, video mapping
2024.
“These physically present and virtually perceptible sculptures are based on the results of kinetic sculpture, however, in this case it is not the sculpture that works mechanically by rotating its own parts, nor is the illusion of apparent movement created by the viewer’s contact with the work, but rather a so-called “pseudo-kinetic” projection from an external light source, which is transmitted by a projector built into the work or placed in its immediate vicinity.
Another aspect of Csilla Szilágyi’s art is less formal-stylistic and more content-related. These sculptures point to philosophical questions on a conceptual level that can be linked to the idea of sacredness. Objects that evoke the archetypes of ancient mysteries are undeniably sacred. Their holiness is not entirely otherworldly, but rather embodies the paraphernalia of a profane mythology, which attempts to provide answers to the fundamental questions of existence in symbolically condensed energy packages.
In this work, vision, the most sophisticated register of human perception, forms a synesthetic unity with touch, as this sculpture almost demands, directly calls for us to reach out and touch it. What makes the work truly suggestive is not the connection of sensory channels, but the moving eyeballs that peek out from the perforated holes. They do not just stare fixedly into nothingness, but move up and down following the viewer’s gaze. This detail is Pala Papp László’s interactive installation experimented with the so-called micro-mapping technique, which, built into the sculpture, lends the object an astonishing surreal vision. “ (Márton Orosz: Anteusz and Penrose. Thoughts for Csilla Szilágyi’s exhibition “Microcosm”)
Our installation is based on the analogy of the compound eyes of insects. The work was created from the triple unit of glass-concrete-light. The work reacts interactively to the approach of visitors. With the help of special sensors, the gaze of the eyes follows the movement of the audience. The triangular-hexagonal structure, which often occurs in nature, is the basis of the composition, which can be observed, for example, in the microscopic image of the compound eye of the muslinca. This work is also a visual reference to the protective beings appearing in the angelic hierarchy, who constantly watch, keep an eye on, and follow the activities of people with many eyes. We can also associate it with the continuous monitoring / controlling presence provided by modern technologies.
