MAN | CHILD

“The shadows of life on earth”

Shadows are normally created by light. But differences in temperature can also cause shadows. In this work flows of hot and cold air are made visible to the human eye. They are shown live as light and shadow. We see the projected image of a man with a child in his arms. Every time there is an attack somewhere, we see this image in many variations: people who come to help and carry away the victims, wounded or dead.

In this work, the image comes from two small copper figures. The man is cooled with liquid nitrogen and the child is heated by means of an electric current. A video camera and an ingenious optical system based on Schlieren optics record the changes in warmth. In this technical way, this shadow image has become an icon of continuous suffering.

Year: 2018
Size: 4 m x 1 m x 1.5 m
Weight: 80 kg
Materials: Steel, aluminium, copper, stainless steel, liquid nitrogen