“Limbology” by Solimán López
Title:
- Limbology
Artist(s) and People Involved:
Exhibiting Artist(s):
Symposium:
Venue(s):
Medium:
- LED neon light, sedal, video, light installation
Artist Statement:
Limbology explores a geolocation experiment in the stratosphere performed with a beacon attached to a probe balloon.
The balloon is released in an open space, where it begins its ascent at the mercy of air currents and with an uncertain destination. Floating in the sky, the balloon seems to be nowhere (therefore, in limbo) but at the same time, its position is fixed with precision thanks to the GPS beacon. As it rises, the beacon’s capacity to transmit the data decreases until it reaches a height where it loses connection and subsequently, due to the decrease in air pressure, the balloon expands until it bursts and starts its vertiginous decline. The data of the position of the beacon during the journey are translated into a sinuous line that rises and stops abruptly. The artist visualizes this route with a neon tube suspended from the ceiling and a video that captures the trip of the balloon. Consciously realized as a failed experiment, the action shows the limits of technology while reflecting on how we conceive space as something that can be mastered by means of measurements and maps.
Text by Paul Waelder.
