Occasion: World Heritage nomination for the “Water Features and Hercules at Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe” for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List
Location: Kassel / Wilhelmshöhe Palace Park, Hercules Monument
The Hercules Monument in Kassel is undergoing a multimedia metamorphosis. The statue’s then-current restoration served as the occasion for an artistic exploration and examination of the object itself and its surroundings. At nightfall, the monument’s outer skin—its natural biofilm—is projected live onto a large screen visible from afar. The projection displays the microscopic structure of the “patina”—the monument’s colorful microcosm—in real time and large format amidst the natural setting. Microorganisms are a key component of the building’s patina, which has developed over a long period. In UNDER THE VEIL OF DARKNESS, these traces are made visible and become the subject of inquiry. Influenced by these tiny organisms, factors such as temperature, wind, air, water, and dissolved organic substances create a protective film that clings to the object like a fingerprint. This natural biofilm—the “patina”—protects the building (an analog repository of the past) from harmful environmental impacts.
UNDER THE VEIL OF DARKNESS was an art project situated at the intersection of art and science within the public realm. Analog and digital networks, as well as telecommunications networks, are employed artistically to convey and transmit messages. The “living” images of the patina were supposed to be accessible not only in public space but also via the internet and a dedicated application. Visitors could use a communication terminal to send messages, information, and/or live images of the patina to a mobile phone—for instance, via Bluetooth. The terminal features an intuitive touchscreen interface, making it easy for visitors to operate. By providing information and fostering connections, the terminal engages people who might otherwise remain uninvolved, enabling them to actively contribute their ideas and social commitment, in this case related not least to the then-actual (and shortly afterwards successful) application for UNESCO-World Heritage status. Real-time footage of the patina was supposed to be also visible during the day on an LED display (70 cm in diameter) mounted on the terminal.
Concept
Equipment and Materials
1 Nikon TE 2000 S microscope with incubator, 5-megapixel DS-Fi1 color digital camera, 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 cord, 1 computer including monitor, DS-L2 control unit; requires a DSL telephone line with a LAN internet router and an IP address from the network provider, 1 Panasonic projector, 1 container plus scaffolding, 10 pairs of binoculars with tripods, 1 touchscreen with computer, 1 communication terminal.
Equipment Placement
One microscope is positioned at a Documenta exhibition venue (e.g., the Schloss Wilhelmshöhe Art Museum or the Fridericianum). Placed beneath it is a particle of patina taken from the Hercules Monument. From this location, microscopic images of the patina are transmitted live to the internet and hosted at a dedicated, publicly accessible web address.
A second microscope with an incubator (warming chamber)—also containing a patina sample—is set up inside a container located between Schloss Wilhelmshöhe and the Hercules monument. Data from this microscope is transmitted to a computer connected to a projector, which displays the microscopic images of the patina onto a screen in real time after dark. The microorganisms remain alive within the warming chamber, and their movements are visible on the large-format projection surface.
The projection surface (approx. 20 m high x 10 m wide) is mounted on scaffolding that was erected around the Hercules monument for renovation work. The monument stands directly opposite the art museum where the first microscope containing the patina is located. A copper communication terminal (Ø 70 cm / H 400 cm)—its shape reminiscent of a periscope—will be installed on the lawn approximately 100 meters in front of the palace.
The communication terminal allows users to send messages, information, and/or live images of the “Patina” to a mobile phone—for example, via Bluetooth. Thanks to its intuitive touchscreen interface, the terminal is accessible to visitors. By providing information and fostering connections, the terminal engages people who might otherwise remain uninvolved, enabling them to actively contribute their ideas and civic engagement.
Real-time images of the “Patina” are displayed on an LED panel (70 cm in diameter) mounted on the terminal. This LED panel faces directly toward the projection screen, where the large-format live projection appears at night. To the right and left of the terminal—spaced approximately 4 meters apart—stand two sets of five copper binoculars mounted on tripods. The distance to the projection surface is approximately 1,596 meters. These binoculars allow viewers to take a closer look at the live images projected at night.
Positioning the Video Image
The Hercules Monument in Kassel is undergoing a multimedia metamorphosis. The statue’s current restoration serves as the occasion for an artistic exploration of—and engagement with—the object itself and its surroundings. At nightfall, the outer skin—the natural biofilm of the shrouded Hercules—is illuminated on a large screen visible from afar. The projection displays the microscopic structure of the “patina”—the monument’s microcosm—in real time and large format within its natural setting.
Positioning the Viewer
These “living” images of the patina are accessible not only in the physical public realm but also in the digital public space of the Internet.
The dynamic images of the patina are transmitted worldwide in real time from their source location: the art museum.
A dialogue emerges—one of mutual influence and shaping—between the projected subject and the projection itself, between the nature-analog world and the technologically driven digital realm. By staging the simultaneous coexistence of microcosm and macrocosm through multimedia means, otherwise hidden, everyday parallel worlds are brought to the surface of perception. The resulting disruption of habitual perception opens up new horizons of experience. The installation focuses on processes and connections between nature and culture that are barely perceptible yet essential.
