Duc et Altum is an art installation that uses the paradigm of art as sign to explore the interaction and relationship between chaos, fear and confusion with order, peace and clarity. It is designed to allow the viewer to tangibly encounter this transition from noise and chaos to silence and stillness. This is done by creating a physical sensory experience that the viewer can walk through. It uses a variety of materials including a projector, speakers and a sauna.

This work explores the concept of being able to create a quiet inner space within oneself, a “poustinia of the heart” (Doherty) that one can seek refuge in amidst a world that is chaotic and confusing. This type of silence is not necessarily one that is completely without noise, but rather is indicative of a deep inner peace. It is indeed a place where one becomes free from the burdens, fears and distractions of life that are weighing them down and causing anxiety.

I was inspired to create this piece due to the current state of our world right now. There is so much confusion and fear. There is so much noise, and it can often feel hard to separate the truth from the lies. It can be easy to feel weighed down and overwhelmed by it all, along with one’s own personal struggles and pain. Yet these types of storms are a part of life, and so being able to find that still, quiet place within oneself is crucial while living in the world of today. Doherty also reflects this: “…it is the poustinia of the heart that is the answer for the modern world” (Doherty, 186).

I was particularly inspired by Bill Viola’s installation “Room for Saint John” along with a quote of his: “There’s more than just the surface of life… the real thing is under the surface” (Viola, 2019). When Viola was a young child, he fell into a lake and nearly drowned. Thankfully his family rescued him. But interestingly he remembers the experience as simply being struck by beauty and peacefulness, and much of his work involves water as a result. This lead me to depict the silent, still place as being underwater. When a stormy sea is raging at the surface, the deep waters underneath it remain quiet and still. It is this imagery that spurred my installation. I also got the idea to use a projector from the work of Alexine McLeod.

In this installation, the sauna structure is the quiet, still place that one eventually arrives at. It’s warmth depicts safety and a feeling of being home. The projection and sound within the sauna is to create a sense of being underwater and help lead one into this quiet contemplation. The path which the viewer must walk to reach the structure creates a sense of being lost in and then moving through the chaos to enter into the deep interior silence of one’s heart. Furthermore, when you are underwater there is a sense of being weightless, and deep ocean water is crystal clear. This thus portrays the clarity and freedom that one experiences in the depths of interior silence.

I took a video of myself walking through the whole installation/experience. Since I could not upload the video here, I have put a link below to view it on youtube. Check it out! (Warning, make sure your volume isn’t up too high at the beginning, it is quite loud at first!) 🙂

Huge thank you to my family for their help in running the sound/effects! (See picture below of my sister in her hiding spot).

 

 

References:

Doherty, C. (2000). Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude and Prayer. Madonna House Publications.

Lund, C. [Louisiana Channel]. (2019, Jan 16). Bill Viola Interview: Cameras are Keepers of the Souls. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3VfWLlkuRI.