ABOUT THE PROJECT

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Title of the project

The significance of consciousness and the human element in the creative process explored through the author’s technique of painting with electricity.

Connection with the exhibition and subthemes

0) We are an artistic duo using our author’s technique of painting with electricity to create abstract paintings. We pave the way for the electricity with objects and substances arranged on the surface of the paper. While we aim to achieve a specific composition that reflects our intentions, we also embrace the unpredictable nature of electrical discharges. This allows for spontaneous actions and surprising outcomes.

Consciousness plays a crucial role in our work, with decisions made in a matter of seconds. We would like to share the results of our creative work, specifically three original works and our thoughts, gathered on posters.

Since concepts are most easily understood by observing their functions in different contexts, we invite you to explore the nature of consciousness by considering the following areas:

1) Non-linear Decision-Making and the Relationship Between Consciousness and Intuitive Action

Every creative process is an expression of conscious action. It is the artist who decides when to apply the final stroke of the brush. Similarly, those of us who use electricity as an artistic medium determine the moment we will execute the last discharge. Ultimately, it is the human who decides when their work is „finished”. This ability to make decisions distinguishes us from machines. Machines perform tasks and provide answers to questions. If you were to ask a machine whether it thinks the work is ready or if it can add or improve something, it would defer the decision back to the human input, then freeze until it receives the next command. Its operations are linear: action flows from point A, the question or command, to point B, the answer or action. In contrast, when you ask a human, their response might come with an unexpected twist. They may decide to make an additional move at the last moment. If you inquire why an artist chose to make a change in their work, they might say, „I realized that something was missing. That’s what my intuition told me”.

2) A Sense of Agency: Consciousness in the „Here and Now”

In our creative act of „painting with electricity” – recording electrical discharges -consciousness plays a leading role. Decisions must be made swiftly; determining whether the work is ready, whether to conduct another discharge, or whether to take out it from the developer happens in seconds. This process emphasizes awareness of the moment, decisiveness, and the consequences of our actions. When we take risks, we experience a sense of agency. While we may ruin the composition, we could also achieve an exceptional effect. During this fleeting moment, we make the final, decisive move.

3) Art as a Mirror — Mirror as Consciousness

Our works serve as a mirror for the audience, helping them become aware of various attributes: fleeting emotions, more permanent aspects related to personality (such as disposition), and unchanging traits (like character). When observing the paintings, viewers share remarkably diverse interpretations of the same work. For instance, one person remarked that a painting appeared to be a dark landscape reminiscent of a battlefield, adding that they had recently been reading a lot of gloomy literature. Another individual saw a meadow filled with flowers in the same painting, mentioning how they enjoy relaxing in nature and envisioning themselves in such a place. Our paintings allow viewers to look within themselves.

4) At this point, we encourage all participants to actively engage and share their observations about each of the three works. What do you see in each painting?

We invite you to scan the QR code to answer some questions on a short online form.

You can also access it by entering the following link: https://form.typeform.com/to/uyf7lqNi

We will share the anonymous responses from participants on our website, updating it at least once a week. To avoid being influenced by others’ answers, each participant will receive a link to a specially created page after completing the survey. The survey will be publicly available after the exhibition concludes, marking the end of the experiment.

Chosen works

Arrangement of works

We propose a wall arrangement that features A3 posters alternating with our works, displayed next to each other. Additionally, a looped video from our studio will be shown in a convenient location of the gallery. We welcome any suggestions from the gallery regarding the final layout.

The proposed arrangement is as follows: Poster 1 (“0” + “1”) – Work 1 – Poster 2 (“2”) – Work 2 – Poster 3 (“3”) – Work 3 – Poster 4 (“4”)

Our thoughts will be printed on posters and delivered alongside the works (we reserve the right to make minor corrections to the text during the final editing process if we believe it will enhance quality and readability).

Technical requirements

The exhibition will feature three original framed artworks and four posters, each ready to hang. The frames will have mounting systems included, so no additional installation materials are needed.

We would like to request one projector with looping capability to present a video documentation of our artistic process. This video will showcase behind-the-scenes footage from the darkroom, highlighting our creative process. The projection aims to enhance the audience’s understanding of our unique method of creation. However, if the gallery is unable to provide a projector, we can easily proceed with original works and posters.

Thank you.

Accompanying video

voltinholt(at)gmail.com