The main venue for VABF is modeled after the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. In the “outside” area, Dutch artist and pioneer of net art Rafaël Rozendaal has created a park filled with digital sculptures called “Shadow Objects.” These Shadow Objects, created by carving objects out from digital material to leave behind an empty shadow in the negative space, cross the borders between images, objects, drawings, and carvings. Until now, Rozendaal’s has used a technique that blurs the lines between the digital and the physical, carving a codified metal plate on a computer and presenting Shadow Objects as physical art. At VABF, however, he is exhibiting his work as a large-scale virtual installation where visitors can walk around and explore the park freely through their browser in an interactive experience.
Light passes through the open spaces of the objects and casts shadows on the lawn which reflect the image of the missing objects. In the digital realm, these shadows give a sense of presence to the non-physical, hypothetical nature of the objects, and with the help of graphics software, masking, backgrounds, and the presence/non-presence of objects themselves can be toggled instantly. This new work, entitled “Shadow Objects Sculpture Park,” uses missing objects and the Shadow Objects created in their dark reflections to stand against the tides of information overload and the mass tumult of today’s online world which we all wade through on a daily basis.
Support: Takuro Someya Contemporary Art
© Rafaël Rozendaal