Waliczky:"Sculptures"

But for God, who is eternal and in His dimensions infinite, time is perhaps a four-dimensional quantity; for God can see all three-dimensional existences, simultaneously and at any point in time. Therefore, for God it is a simple matter to change at will our perception of time. From His perspective, temporal measures such as a second, an hour, a year or even eternity are identical. I believe this may be a possible interpretation of the quotation from Koran with which Borges precedes his tale: 'And God made him die during the course of a hundred years; and then He revived him and said: "How long have you been here?" "A day or a part of a day," he replied.'


SCULPTURES For us humans, who are limited in time and space, time is a one-dimensional affair. We can move only along one axis we define in co-ordinates of "past-present-future". (In this definition, "present" is the origin of our co-ordinate system, "past" and "future" lie to its right and left respectively.) And, sadly enough, even in this single dimension we are able to travel in one direction only, namely forward.


But for God, who is eternal and in His dimensions infinite, time is perhaps a four-dimensional quantity; for God can see all three-dimensional existences, simultaneously and at any point in time. Therefore, for God it is a simple matter to change at will our perception of time. From His perspective, temporal measures such as a second, an hour, a year or even eternity are identical. I believe this may be a possible interpretation of the quotation from Koran with which Borges precedes his tale: 'And God made him die during the course of a hundred years; and then He revived him and said: "How long have you been here?" "A day or a part of a day," he replied.'


In the dream sequences of "The Enemies" (called "SCULPTURES" as independent installation) I wanted to visually represent (with my modest visual means) the way our temporal structure differs from that of God. I think this question is the key issue of the piece. On the basis of fleeting everyday movements and gestures such as walking, jumping, waving, etc., I built in the computer three-dimensional sculptures. I call the "time crystals", for they preserve in frozen form brief moments in an individual's life. These srystals exist simultaneously alongside each other in space, and a virtual camera (whose viewing angle is to some extent the lofty vantage point of God) can observe them from any desired location. By travelling through the time crystals, the camera can re-produce the original movement, but from a diverse range of perspectives and at varying speeds. Tamás Waliczky, 1996


"SCULPTURES", 1997 Computer animation, video installation, 12' Master: Digital Betacam, DVD Necessary equipments for the installation: 1 DVD player, 1 video projector, or (second version) 3 DVD players, 3 projectors. Conception: Tamás Waliczky & Anna Szepesi Direction and computer animation: Tamás Waliczky Computer animation assistance: Christina Zartmann Software (Xfrog): Bernd Lintermann The piece was originally designed and performed for the opera of Mesias Maiguashca called "The Enemies" Producer: Heike Staff Commissioned and produced by ZKM, Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, Karlsruhe Copyright © 1997 Tamás Waliczky & Anna Szepesi


"TIME/SPACE (SCULPTURES)", 2001 Computer/video installation. The new, re-edited and re-designed version of the "Sculptures" with 3 projection screens, produced especially for the Anteprima Bovisa - Milano Europa 2000 exhibition.


The "TIME/SPACE (SCULPTURES)" installation in PAC, Milano.
Images copyright © 1997 Tamás Waliczky

"Sculptures" in "Perspectiva" exhibition, Kunsthalle, Budapest, 1999 Picture provided by C3