The Frappant, an underground art gallery and artists residence in Hamburg Altona, Germany was the site of a widely acclaimed avant-garde exhibition Der liebe Gott (The Dear God). Among the pieces attracting the most attention during the 10-day event was Light Artist Boris Frentzel-Beyme’s haunting and transcendental work “Deus luminogaster,” which draws on the output of carefully placed Freedom Pars from Chauvet DJ to make its powerful impression.
Although the central object of Boris’ work – an embossed plastic sheet manufactured in East Germany during the days of the GDR – is interesting in and of itself, it’s the vibrant colours and punchy light of the Freedom Par RGBAW+UV LED fixtures that endow this piece with a captivating holographic and illusory quality.
Boris’ ight art consortium, Lumidium, is no stranger to using light to bring out the hidden aesthetic beauty of unique objects. In recent years, for example, Lumidium illuminated a wide range of objects, from a castle to a disused factory or an old power station. With the Deus luminogaster, however, it was the first time Boris had used Chauvet fixtures.
“One of my partner companies to Lumidium, Light Control in Hamburg, offered the fixtures to me” said Boris. “I found them to have excellent vibrant colours right from the get go, and more importantly, I also found them extremely suitable for this particular project due to the fact that they can be operated with batteries, thus eliminating the need for unsightly cables.”
Around 140 artists work within the Frappant exhibition space, an old Prussian barracks transformed into an art house which sees a regularly rotating programme of exhibitions and artistic events. In this particular exhibition, Deus luminogaster succeeded in turning many heads with its one of a kind embossed hexagonal patterns highlighted by the Freedom Pars.
“There are two essential elements to this light art installation,” said Boris. “The main object of the installation which becomes projected onto has something of a colourful history. I found the plastic sheet several years ago while exhibiting in Leipzig in East Germany, and it is an original East German GDR product. The essential element to bring the embossed object to life, however, is the lighting.”
Projecting light onto the surface from a certain distance and a certain angle elevated from the wall, the Freedom Pars create an ever-changing pattern landscape. When switched on, the fixtures – placed above and below the object – are left in colour changing and provide a myriad of looks. The entire RGBAW+UV spectrum, a unique feature of this fixture, washes onto the embossed hexagonal surface to create a beautiful illusory feast for the eye.
“The light gives the whole installation an otherworldly experience, which is exactly the atmosphere I wanted to create,” said Boris. “The colours that the pocket sized Freedom Pars create are very impressive, especially given their compact size. For exhibitions of this kind, these wireless fixtures provide the perfect accompaniment.”
Photo credit: www.lumidium.org
