My Value-Modulated Nonfigurative Paintings and Kinetic Projected Images

teonardo, Vol. 12, pp. 127-128 Pergamon Press Ltd. 1979. Printed in Great Britain. M Y VALUE-MODULATED NONFIGURATIVE PAINTINGSAND KINETIC PROJECTED IMAGES Finn Mickelborg* 1. On 2 February 1976four Danish painters. T. Ebbesen, K. Hilligsnre, T. Homing and 1, formed a group, called NYABSTRACTION . with the intention of developing a new type of nonfigurative painting. Our basic idea was to develop a way of making representations of forms in space with a high degree of realism by modulation or shading of color. Our manifesto states: ‘The new dynamic visual dimension arises through the modulation of color whereby space and form obtain an extraordinary realism thus providing the possibilityof expressingspace and the abstraction with convincing dimensional precision. By executingthe picture in modulated colors, indirect light is obtained; space and form are built up with the picture’s own light regardless of whether one modulates a single color up to a specialeffector severalcolors together. The intensity can change from a subdued lyrical vibration to red-hot activity. In the new abstract painting the balance of weight and proportion assume a special sovereign freedom due to the space creating factor arising from the modulation of color which gives new visual and emotional possibilities. With the strongly accelerating modulation, it is now possible to release and emphasize the power of the abstract forms, up to an extreme plasticity. The feeling of time as a visual experience becomesconcentrated through the course of modulation. It is this characteristic that is especially noteworthy.’ In addition to making such paintings, I investigatedthe images on a screen produced by projecting light past forms in motion. First I sought a way to produce images that give the impression of being developed freely, yet would be under my control. Using a projector (Rank Xerox Tutor 2, Rank Aldis, London, England), 1 employed techniques developed for psychedelic lightshows in the 1960s. But these proved to be unsuitable becauseof a lack ofcontrol. However,I soon found a way in which the projector could be used. If a small metal object were placed in the chamber in front of the innermost lens(at about 2cm before the lens)and if it was rotated, its image on the screen would have portions of changing sharpness. I tried a number of smallmetal objectsof different form and I was very pleased with the results. Depending on the form of the object rotated, the image may grow, close upon itself,divideand vanish, onlyto reappear again. The metal objects that I sometimes used were cut in various forms from sheet metal and bent. I have also employed objects assembled by soldering together miscellaneous pieces like springs, wire mesh, tubes and wire. The visual experience of viewing the images is very much influenced by their rate of change. I find that when objectsare rotated at about one turn in 5 minutes, images are produced that can be viewed best. Figure 2 shows the successive change of an image at 1-minute intervals. 2. In the spirit of the ideas expressed in our manifesto, I have made a number of different oil paintings entitled ‘Modulation’ (Fig. 1). In making these paintings, I imagined space to be divided by planes, and I was especiallyinterested in the partly enclosedspacesbetween them. Sincethe continuous modulation in color valueson the planes is imagined to be produced by changing the location in space of a light source illuminating them, one can say that there is a continuous connection between the light source and the depicted forms. It would be inconsistent to imagine a fixed light source and the depicted modulation of color values. Instead, it is implied that the light source is in very rapid motion and what is depicted is the resulting modulation of color values that would be observed. The rapid continuous repetitive change of location of a light source itself seemsto definea volume of empty space. ‘Artist. Vanlase Alle 100. 2720 Vanlese. Copenhagen. Denmark. (Received 24 May 1978.) Fig. 1. ‘Modulation’,oilpaint on canvas, 180 x 188cm, 1978. 127 128 Finn Mickelborg Image series having cycles lasting 3, 5, 6 and 8 minutes were shown at the exhibition entitled ‘New-Abstraction Manifestation’ in Copenhagen in September 1977 (Fig. 3). The images of four...