Look, the Sun is Burning

For three decades now, Gregor Eldarb has been shaping the Austrian and international art scene with his abstract and conceptual paintings and sculptures. A few years ago he expanded his repertoire to include moving images, focusing primarily on the textures and structures of surfaces.

Up through the Renaissance, magic and science were not separate disciplines, but rather an inseparable unity within the field of alchemy. According to ancient theory, it was assumed that the eyes emitted “rays of vision,” meaning that visual perception was an active, not a passive, process, as illustrated by a historical graphic at the beginning of the video. There is something compelling about Eldarb’s approach. By experimenting with various chemical substances and capturing the resulting interplay of colors and forms on film, he generates highly aesthetic, magical worlds. The sole purpose of his elaborate, purely analog experimental setups is to create these surprising and fascinating visual attractions.

For Look, the Sun is Burning, he used ferrofluid (an oily liquid with magnetic properties), a magnet, a magnifying glass, sunlight, and a computer screen. The work presents short sequences, separated by blackouts, showing chemical processes resulting from the combination of these elements. The macro images are shown in both positive and negative. Smoke rises from bizarre landscapes, and concentrated sunlight and magnetism bring the amorphous structures to life. This psychedelic spectacle offers glimpses into futuristic worlds seemingly populated by alien life forms. The magical overall impression of this work is further enhanced by Stefan Nemeth’s ethereal minimalist soundtrack. (Norbert Pfaffenbichler)

Translation: John Wojtowicz