FÉLICIE D’ESTIENNE D’ORVES
The artwork
Etalon lumière (Soleil, ⨤ 8 min)
2016
106 x 4 x 2,5 cm
Steel, LED, programme.
Courtesy of the artist
Etalon lumière (Sun, ⨤ 8 min) is composed of a line of light that passes through the surface of a steel bar measuring one meter long. The time it takes for the light to move from left to right across the bar corresponds to the time necessary for sunlight to reach us on Earth—on average 8 minutes. The variable amplitude of this Étalon lumière is programmed until the year 3000, according to the “real-time” distance that separates us from the Sun, based on ephemerides used by NASA satellites. The series Etalon lumière (Sun, ⨤ 8 min, Mars ⨤ 5 to 22 min.) reintroduces an idea of cosmic time relative to the natural rhythms and movement of planets in the solar system. In this series, each standard bar refers to an object in the solar system and follows the movement of light from the perspective of each one.
Project developed in collaboration with Fabio Acero, astrophysicist at CEA’s AIM/ laboratory.
Production: Bipolar, Maison Populaire.
The artist
Felicie d’Estienne d’Orves, born in Athens in 1979, lives and works in Paris. The work of Félicie d’Estienne d’Orves combines light, sculpture and new technologies. Her research focuses on vision, its processes and conditioning. Her immersive installations use a phenomenological approach to reality, they underscore the perception of time as a continuum. In 2014 the artist started to research space in relation to astrophysics and to study the natural light cycles. Her work has been shown at the Centre Pompidou – Nuit Blanche (Paris) – New Art Space / Sonic Acts (Amsterdam) – Watermans Arts Center (London) – Elektra Festival / BIAN (Montreal) – Maison des Arts of Créteil (Créteil/FR) – Le Centquatre / Nemo International Biennial of Digital Arts (Paris) – OCAT (Shanghai) – ICAS (Dresden) – Aram Art Museum (Goyang /KR) ..