HORROR VACUI EXISTENCIAL, 2018
Inspired by Barbara Hepworth’s drawings, this art installation delved into the realms of Horror Vacui and Existential Emptiness, exploring the dichotomy of space and void.
This conceptual piece aimed to create an immersive experience that challenged perceptions and invited introspection.
The facility, aptly named “Soul Observatory,” was a macro/micro exploration of space.
An aerial view revealed the Horror Vacui, a visual overload representing the fear of empty space, while the interior offered an Empty Walk—a serene journey through a landscape modified to induce relaxation.
The ambiance oscillated between extremes, from blinding white light to complete darkness, from white noise to an absolute absence of sound, and from a neutralized odor to a complete lack thereof.
The installation beckoned visitors to engage in purposeful idleness, a deliberate act of doing nothing to stimulate maximum mental relaxation and idea generation. As participants entered a completely white room, they were guided towards the climax of an illusory experience—the Void of Horror Vacui.
In the realm of visual art, Horror Vacui spoke to the fear of empty spaces, reflecting Aristotle’s notion that nature abhors a vacuum. I juxtaposed this with the concept of Existential Emptiness—a condition where one grapples with a lack of meaning in life. The installation addressed the contemporary affliction of Existential Emptiness, a pervasive malaise often met with futile actions that exacerbated rather than alleviated.
Technical specifications included a dynamic interplay of LED lights and lenses, creating a virtual flood influenced by environmental factors. Elements such as humidity controllers, portable ionizing purifiers, playback equipment, and amplification of white noise contributed to a multisensory experience, making this installation a unique and thought-provoking journey into the void of existence.
CONCEPT
Association of opposites
HORROR VACUI and EXISTENTIAL EMPTYNESSPROPOSAL
FACILITY
SOUL OBSERVATORY
MACRO / MICRO
AERIAL VIEW: HORROR VACUI
INTERIOR: EMPTY WALK
Landscape modification
White light / No light
White noise / Absence of noise
Odor neutralizer / Absence of odor
Create a pleasant space to do absolutely nothing, relax
the mind to the maximum, that there is nothing that disturbs and is conducive to generate ideas
The public enters a completely white room towards the point climax of the illusory experience of THE VOID
HORROR VACUI
In visual art, HORROR VACUI means ‘fear of empty space’ and is the filling of the entire surface of a space or a work of art with detail.
In physics, HORROR VACUI reflects Aristotle’s idea that “nature abhors an empty space.”
Currently there is an inverse relationship between the HORROR VACUI and the perception of value, on the premise that moderation and visual clarity appeal more to a “wealthy and educated” audience.EXISTENTIAL EMPTYNESS
The term EMPTYNESS refers below that lacks content
and EXISTENTIAL, for its part, is an adjective linked to the action of to exist (to be, to possess life, to belong to reality).
A human being experiences an EXISTENTIAL EMPTYNESS when he/she/they don’t find meaning in his/her/their life.
The person who feels it is often bored, pessimistic and suffers from apathy if this feeling of emptiness extends over time, we can speak of EXISTENTIAL EMPTYNESS when the person can’t “fill” that space.
EXISTENTIAL EMPTYNESS has become a “contemporary evil” and it is frequent, to make that sensation disappear, to resort to a endless tools and undertake numerous “empty” actions, which instead of mitigating this feeling, they make it worse.TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The installation is a combination of LED lights and lenses that create a constantly changing virtual flood, influenced by wind and humidity in the environment.
Elements:
LEDs, software, lenses, humidity controllers, ‘PURIFIERS
IONICS’ portables, playback equipment and amplification of ‘WHITE NOISE’ and site-specific location design.
Lidia de Pedro
Lidia de Pedro