Dioptrique
Dioptrique (2023)
Measurements: 10m00 x 3m30
Materials: motors, silver plastic, led fresnel
“The conduct of our life depends on our senses ... And it is difficult to find any that increases it more than that of these marvelous glasses I wear now, which have only been in use for a short time, have defied us to discover new stars in the sky, and other new objects from the earth in greater numbers than those we had previously seen there: because taking our sight much further than the imagination of our fathers was wont to go, they seem to have opened to us the path, to arrive at a much greater and more perfect knowledge of Nature than they had.”
René Descartes penned these words in 1626, capturing the wonder of newfound optical discoveries. Since then, humanity has expanded its vision, seeing the minute and the massive, the distant and the close, far beyond Descartes' wildest dreams.
Dioptrique, part of Boris Acket’s Einder series, transforms the optics of the series through a simple change in material. On first glance, the mechanics of the piece are clear, but deeper layers gradually unfold.
This work embodies a closed loop of creation and destruction. As the material slowly degrades, more details emerge in the projections. Each instance of damage generates sound, creating an unsettling atmosphere of decay. The constant hum of engines subtly underscores the piece, revealing the mechanical underpinning of what appears to be a natural and poetic refractive result. The projections evoke the sensation of viewing an upside-down water surface