On the Surface

Anita Edenhofer

On the Surface is a video installation which shows the reflection of car lights in an underpass. The artwork consists of a sculptural element in the form of the replication of a tunnel and the projection of a video onto it. Apart from the light of the projection the exhibition space will be completely dark. On the wall of the tunnel you can see the reflection of the front lights of the car but neither the car itself nor its rear lights. The viewer will be able to guess the construction but never be able to capture the whole space at once.

Anita is interested in this combination of the partly real and partly constructed spaces of experience, which always occur as soon as one transfers parts of our everyday life to the gallery space. The light, which is something that is a well-known element of a car ride at night, receives a new kind of attention by being shown in a gallery space. The tunnel itself gets replicated to build up the same feeling of depth as it imparts in reality.

This artwork was realised in collaboration with Richard Bate (Culture Lab, University of Newcastle).