Drawing stories on the sky.
Between sky and earth, Novae explores cosmogonies - the formation of celestial objects in a constantly expanding universe.
Thousands of years ago, observation of stars was used to mark stages in the unfolding of time: the alternation of days and nights, the phases of the Moon and the changes in the position of the planets… And for a long time, mankind attributed to the stars a surnatural influence on its very existence. By 1930, astronomers demonstrated that stars are born and evolve.
This installation sketches an endless space, inhabited by hundreds of stars. Light slowly evolves like pulses and draws trajectories in the darkness. As time passes, the wind blows gently to the ears. The intensity of the light diminishes further, raindrops are heard, time seems suspended. A feeling of well-being and eternity overwhelms us, the firmament now contemplates us.
Considering the speed of light and the distance at which they are, stars visible from earth today are perhaps extinct for millions of years. By looking at the sky, we contemplate the past. The installation reflects on that to create a timeless landscape.
Credits
Authors: Nicolas Guichard x Béatrice Lartigue, Lab212 Collective
Collaboration: the poem is written and read by poet Prince Badr bin Abdolmohsen Al Saud
Sound composition: Simon Doury
Light consultancy: Mathieu Cabanes
Sound consultancy: Baptiste Pohoski
Curation: Marnie Benney x Alia Ahmad Alsaud
Exhibition scenography: Badr Zabarah
Video/photos: ©Lab212