La danza de las sombras
The work ‘The Dance of Shadows’ is an immersion in the depths of the soul, a journey through those emotions that inhabit us and torment us recurrently. Darkness is shown as the protagonist, enveloping the viewer in an environment loaded with symbolism. Music, thunder and sculptures come together to create a somber atmosphere that reflects the internal struggle with our own shadows. This artistic piece was a search by the author in the depth of her emotions from which she sought to escape. In order to materialize that idea, elements were used that ambiance the viewer: sculptures belonging to museums that were used to represent the different emotions through their expressions, tense music throughout the entire piece in search of that connection with the faces presented, dark colors and as a canvas background a room representing the art samples. The work invites deep introspection, exploring those corners of the soul where fears and anxieties nest. Through careful aesthetics, the author manages to convey the feeling of being trapped in an emotional whirlwind, from which it is possible to emerge.
Technical, aesthetic and conceptual development
The work immerses the viewer in an inner labyrinth, a white room like the white canvas of our psyche. In this room, emotions come to life from those sculptures that represent moments and emotions. The wall that is visible in the background contains a sculpture, a mass of faces that express the full spectrum of human emotions: tranquility, fear and suffering. On the sides a row of heads representing the relationship between emotions, expressions and the indelible mark that experiences leave on our being. In the center a soft light that illuminates the heart of the work. A wounded heart, a face that hides its sadness behind a forced smile, a woman who seeks solace in herself, two souls that merge in an eternal embrace and a face that longs to escape from itself. Sculptures that make us encounter our own vulnerabilities and desires. The dark atmosphere is created thanks to the tense music that can be heard in the background of the piece. These melodies change as the viewer interacts with the piece and represent each of the faces and sensations they generate. The work, as a whole, is an invitation to an introspective journey.
The author Aira presents contemporary art as a field that is constantly evolving, where the relationship between the artist and the viewer is redefined. In “The Dance of Shadows” this relationship is based on the impact it has on the spectators, who immerse themselves in the world of the confusing and the emotional since subjectivity is a key point for both the creation and understanding of my work. Personal emotional experiences constitute a central aspect to connect with it, analyze the faces and sounds of the sculptures. Aira interprets contemporary art as a game of experimentation where the artist looks for new ways to surprise the user. The work is not a mere object, it is a story created from the story of its creation, the artist’s intentions and interpretations. That is why it tells us about the relationship between the work of art and its reproduction, the search for that which cannot be reproduced is one of the characteristics of contemporary art, although technology continues to advance, art always advances with its new forms of representation. When trying to reproduce said work, it is inevitable that the previously mentioned story will be lost. Generative art, as Arns comments, focuses on the final product of the work where tools are used to create spontaneous visual and auditory results as visually appealing works. Codes are used to generate sounds and animations that add importance to the work, their results being variable among themselves. It is a discipline that is constantly evolving, challenging the traditional notion of what art is.
Literature
AIRA, César. ([2013], 2016) “Sobre el arte contemporáneo” en Sobre el arte contemporáneo. Buenos Aires: Literatura Random House, pp. 11-56. (DAA: 1:02m) ARNS, Inke. (2005). “El código como acto de habla performativo”. En Revista Artnodes, Julio de 2005, ISSN 1695-5951