COLUMBA

Installation, 2012

Roseline de Thelin (FR)

Columba is named after the small, faint star constellation Columba Noachi (Latin for Noah’s Dove) and symbolises our growing consciousness. Continuing the series of Homos Luminosos (Latin for Luminous Humans), this new member of the family is a child, a young girl sitting in a constellation of quartz crystal stars. Ethereal, transparent and illuminating she glows, as a metaphor of the veil that divides life and the spirit realm. Her ghostly veiled silhouette appears shining and haunting in the dark, escaping into oblivion. Columba was designed to evoke God’s waiting room in the spiritual dimension, waiting in limbo, visitors often experience a divine transcendence, entering through the doors of perception.

Made of optic fibres, symbol of the endless possibilities carried by photons, this work combines the use of digital technology with craftsmanship. Columba was initially created digitally as a three-dimensional mapping and then carved by hand into thousands of light points across hundreds of optic fibers. The empty space between the points of light create a ‘loose definition effect’ that pushes the viewer to fill in the gaps similar to the ‘persistence of vision’ process. The viewer participates with the work and co-creates the three-dimensional image of the figure. This unconscious act generates the sensation of discovery.

Artist's Statement

Acting as a ‘neo-magician’ playing with digital tricks and brain perceptions, I sit upon the border of reality. I intuitively believe the use of new technology will open doors to expanded consciousness and heightened brain function. When we wear glasses that enable us to see the magnetic fields belonging to all beings, our perception of reality will for certain be transformed and expanded. I try to anticipate this moment, and make it real.