Statement of PLANTA

SonarPLANTA 2014
unidisplay by Carsten Nicolai

SonarPLANTA was launched during Sónar 2014 with ‘unidisplay’, an installation by the German artist Carsten Nicolai. This was one of the first instances in which the importance of Carsten Nicolai’s work was recognized accordingly, making him the perfect candidate to launch the SonarPLANTA project.

‘Unidisplay’ represented the most ambitious Carsten participation at Sónar to date.

‘Unidisplay’ challenges semiotics and the laws of perception. The installation functions with a variety of different visual effect modules that interfere with the perception of viewers through optical illusions, restlessness, blinking, image effects, movement, complementary colours, etc.

The installation was situated along a projection screen with two mirrored walls on either side, in order to visually expand the experience as a universe. The basic visuals, composed of sequences, motifs and graphic translations of various units of measurement of time, act as a world clock and evoke the intertwining of time, between past, present and future.

The piece was created with TouchDesigner software, which the artist had previously used in live performances on a triple projection screen.

Photos: Agostino Osio
Courtesy: Galerie EIGEN + ART LEipzig/Berlin and The Pace Gallery