Project
Today—fifty years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China—Beijing is no longer the insular metropolis it once was. The opening-up of recent years is increasingly reflected in its architecture. A prime example of this is the new National Centre for the Performing Arts, designed by the French architect Paul Andreu. Across the globe, Andreu creates “transit spaces” through which the endless stream of travelers flows. When describing his work, he speaks of paths and curves, tunnels and walkways, passages and transitions—of time, silence, light, and emptiness. In doing so, he shapes new places of encounter—spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, with one another, and with their surroundings. His architecture serves as a sanctuary for the flow of life. To understand Paul Andreu’s architecture is to realize that it is far more than merely a canvas for Sabine Kacunko’s light performance, *GERM-(CELL) F²*. Together, they form a symbiosis, transforming into a “living light sculpture” within the historic setting between the Great Hall of the People and the walls of the Forbidden City at Tiananmen Square. The result is a symbol of openness and international dialogue in the heart of Beijing. Materials and Equipment
1 Nikon TE 2000 S microscope with incubator; 5-megapixel color digital camera (DS-Fi1); DS-U2 USB camera control unit; power supply for DS-L2/DS-U2 control unit; camera cable for DS-L2/U2 control unit; USB cable; power cable; 1 computer (including monitor); DS-L2 control unit; DSL telephone line with LAN internet router and network provider IP address required; 1 Panasonic projector; 1 container & scaffolding structure; 10 pairs of binoculars with tripods; 1 touchscreen with computer; 1 communication terminal; 1 grand piano; sound equipment…
Equipment Setup
A microscope equipped with an incubator (heating chamber) is set up in front of the lake at the new National Opera. A particle of patina, previously removed from the “Gate of Heavenly Peace,” is placed under the objective of the microscope, which is connected to a PC.
A microphone is also connected to the PC to record a concert scheduled to take place in the plaza facing the lake. Specialized software integrates the data within the PC. The sound of the live concert modulates the live microscopic image data of the colored patina from the “Gate of Heavenly Peace.”
The resulting images are projected in real-time—after dark—onto the glass façade of the new Chinese National Opera using a projector connected to the same PC. A special projection film has been applied to the glass façade of the new Chinese National Opera beforehand.
Furthermore, the live microscopic images of the patina are transmitted to the internet and hosted at a dedicated, publicly accessible web address.
The installation is accompanied by a publicly accessible communication terminal. This terminal serves not only as a source of information but, above all, as a virtual space for communication between participants and interested parties. The communication terminal (Ø 70 cm / H 400 cm), the shape of which is reminiscent of a periscope, is also being installed by the lake at the new National Opera.
The communication terminal offers the option of sending live images of the “patina” as a visual message via email or to a mobile phone—for instance, via Bluetooth. Thanks to intuitive touchscreen controls, visitors can operate the terminal themselves, thereby setting an intercultural dialogue in motion worldwide. The terminal informs, reaches, and connects people who might otherwise remain uninvolved, enabling them to actively contribute their ideas and social engagement. This intercultural, virtual exchange presents an opportunity to revitalize international relations or deepen existing connections. It represents a further step toward openness—a seed (or nucleus) for friendship that can continue to live and grow in the physical world.
Real-time footage of the patina is displayed on an LED panel (70 cm in diameter) mounted on the terminal. This LED panel faces the “Gate of Heavenly Peace”—the structure from which the patina sample was originally taken.
Positioning the Video Image
The National Centre for the Performing Arts (National Opera) is undergoing a multimedia metamorphosis. The building’s recent completion serves as the occasion for an artistic exploration of the structure itself and its surroundings. After dark, the “outer skin”—the natural biofilm from the Gate of Heavenly Peace—is projected onto a large, highly visible screen mounted on the Opera’s glass façade. The projection displays the microscopic structure of the Gate’s patina in real time. The natural biofilm—a colorful microcosm of this World Heritage architecture—is thus rendered visible on a grand scale, appearing on the new structure amidst its historic surroundings.
The “vibrant life” of the historic patina drapes itself like a protective shell over the modern architecture; the two merge to form a symbiosis. It creates the impression of a brightly glowing water bubble rising from the lake under the cover of night. The resulting images are reflected in the waters of the man-made lake that surrounds the new National Opera. Life emerges from water; the water reflects the vibrant life of the setting—its past, its history, and its present. The new architecture becomes a bearer of history, a symbol of peaceful coexistence, and a symbol of a shared future.
A “living light sculpture” is taking shape in the heart of Beijing, serving as a symbol that embodies the original Olympic spirit: a symbol of harmony and peace. As a special highlight of the light performance, this silent message is to be accompanied by a musical performance from the internationally acclaimed artist Lang Lang (my personal choice).
The quietly active microcosm of the patina produces colorful pigments that serve as the artist’s material. Driven by this interplay, the chromatic imagery is set in motion by the patina’s pigments. Audio recordings animate visual images—timbres paint—and new visual worlds emerge. For a moment, there is cosmic harmony: human and nature, culture and life. A flow of life that never stands still, moving ever onward within the great cycle of time…
Positioning the Viewer
The “living images” of the patina are accessible not only in the physical public realm but also digitally, within the public space of the Internet. These dynamic images are transmitted worldwide in real time from their location at the new Chinese National Opera. A dialogue of mutual influence and creation arises between the projected image and the projection itself—between the nature-based realm and the technologically driven digital world. By staging the simultaneous coexistence of microcosm and macrocosm through multimedia, everyday parallel worlds—ordinarily hidden—are brought to the surface of perception. The resulting disruption of habitual perception opens up new horizons of experience.
(Sabine Kacunko, Berlin, 20.07.2009)
