Philippe Parreno Heliotrope, 2023-2024

Heliotrope consists of a mechanized heliostat controlled by a computer program. The motorized colored mirror redirects light and creates a dynamic colored light beam.

Heliostats have appeared in previous exhibitions by Parreno: for instance, at the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai, in 2017, and more recently in Echo2 at Bourse de Commerce, Paris (2022). Heliotrope was conceived for the 15th Sharjah Biennale in 2023. Mounted on a sci-fi-like structure of four legs and a motor that moves the heliostat, the work refracts colored spot light around the environs in which it is exhibited.