Proposal for a public installation
A large number of flashlights made of bronze at scattered locations around a public site, my work takes on the whole site and melts discreetly into the surrounding environment.
A late summer evening in 2005, an exceptional event happened to me when I along a desert highway had problems with my motorcycle. Scared and frustrated in the dark, I found no longer among my tools. Then, as by a miracle, I found a flashlight in the bushes only a few meters from the spot where I had engine failure. The flashlight gave me, except through its obvious function, a sense of courage and hope through his unexpected revelation.
WHY?
I want to share with me out of this unlikely event, and let residents discover and find their own flashlights in their area.
After the incident with the flashlight, I asked myself the question: who has brought the torch into the ditch, where, when and why? Are there lights that remain forgotten after a previous event or are they waiting patiently for something that will happen? Could it be that they remained there under the earth since ancient times and just waiting to come up over the surface?
Flashlight as an object has, for me, had a symbolic value as a lifeline and provide a sense of security. This is against the sense of threat and violence which are constantly present in the parks, promenades and various public sites. My flashlights can be seen as a manifestation against this threat, but also as a surprising, subtle elements in a controlled nature as a landscaped park is.
When public art often has a tendency to be produced in an oversized scale, I want to challenge that by working with small objects. These will in a subtle way load the given field with a mysterious but safe cosiness.
HOW?
Bronze as a material is very durable and well suited to this type of permanent works. It's exciting to make an everyday object like a flashlight in a so-called noble material, bronze. The bronze is dark golden brown and will be receptive to the surrounding environment. It will, over time, polished gold, where people took it and colored and blend in beautifully with nature as it ages.
The scattered bronze lights will be fixed in concrete foundations being dug down to the desired depth so as not to appear but that keeps the flashlight on the spot. Bronze lamps will include simple electronics with a low-power long-life bulb, LED or the like, to minimize maintenance requirements and energy consumption. These coupled with the street lights that exist, the torches will therefore only be lit during dark hours when the walk light is on.
