06 Oct 2011

Serge Salat

Serge Salat's 'Beyond Infinity'

French artist Serge Salat caught our eye recently. This magnificent conceptual artist’s work would catch anyone’s eye.

His latest project, ‘Beyond Infinity’, is a bold and beautiful artwork made up of seemingly impossible architectural structures, illuminated by a wash of futuristic light.

To create this wonderful piece, Salat brought together some of the most advanced technological equipment and used it to mirror his cultural influences. We caught up with the visionary artist to discover what inspired this blend of creativity and technology.

HUGO Create: You are a French artist working in China. What inspired you to work in China?

Serge Salat: China is a land with a five millennia old culture, and at the same time it is transforming very quickly. That’s important because my work is often influenced by Taoism. My latest installation, ‘Beyond Infinity’, is a 3D generalization of many Taoist influences. The art’s influenced by Buddhist mandala (art forms) too. And I’ve tried to combine these ancient influences with something ultra-modern, to modernize this spiritual ancient culture.

HC: 'Beyond Infinity' is a multi-sensory installation interweaving mirrors, light, music and architecture. Do you consider this a particularly ambitious project?

SS: I have used mixed media for the last twenty years. This project is particularly ambitious due to the fact that the audience gets inside the fractal structures rather than just seeing it from the outside. Rather than being a series of interlocked spaces linked by galleries, this installation offers far away distant diagonal views and is much more spatially integrated.

HC: How would you describe the experience of walking through Beyond Infinity?

SS: The work is an experiment in manipulating the mind of the audience to take the spectator out of their normal space and enter a layer of floating dreams. I used many techniques to create this effect. One was to use incomplete structural shapes that complete when they are reflected. Only an eighth of the red pavilion is actually built but the overall perception of a complete pavilion is formed in the eyes of the audience who float in the middle. Another technique is this contrast of ultraviolet light and incandescent light. There were around eight techniques we used to give the installation its aura of infinity.

HC: Have you always used technology in your creative work?

SS: Technology is an important aspect of my work. The installations are optical devices showing infinity in an enclosed space. The closer they are to a perfect realization, the deeper the audience can see into infinity. In the past we’ve used mirrors that cosmological observatories also use. They were provided by Saint Gobain (a glass production company) and we used the same technology that was used to construct the Louvre Pyramid to adjust them. Technology is the limit for creating an experience exceeding normal vision. The more sophisticated the technology, the more perfect the vision.

HC: Do you hope to continue to work intertwining different technologies with your creativity?

SS: Yes. I have designed many projects, which require even more sophisticated technologies, and I hope information technology will help to realize some of these concepts in the not-too-distant future.

HC: Are there any emerging technologies you’re particularly excited about working with?

SS: I have developed projects with time lags and mirroring time, not just space. This would be spatially infinite and would enclose the memory of its different moments since its creation. Looking far away would result in looking into the past of the installation, like when you look into the distance of the universe you see the past, due to the finite nature of the speed of light. The technique would be to slow down the movement of light between mirrors. This is possible with very high definition video and computer treatment of the signal.
 
HC: What is your ultimate creative dream?

SS: My ultimate creative dream is to create a temple. I am extremely interested in the abstract structures of space, and in particular, of sacred space. So I use space, color and light to create a mystical journey of the soul. This new kind of sacred space corresponds with temple structures of the past.