Rosa Barba Poised Compression, 2023
Steel, glass, motors, 35mm film, aluminum
130 x 110 x 12 cm
Poised Compression consists of a framed glass box in which red strips of celluloid are in constant movement. The film strips are attached to three spools with motors that continuously turn in one or other direction. As these spools turn, the celluloid wounds around the spool. This process lets the film strips tighten and loosen in an ongoing play of lines.
The process of loosening and straightening strips of film creates abstract pattern. Held in the dark frame and installed on the wall, the constant play of lines evokes the impression of pattern being drawn, only to collapse again and again. The artist has referred to these works as "cinematic paintings."
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