Mending Clear Positions (2022) consists of a framed glass box in which red strips of celluloid are in constant movement. The ends of the film strips are fastened inside to the left and to the right sides of the frame. Each section of celluloid is threaded into a metal spool, of which there are seven distributed inside the panel. As these spools turn, the celluloid wounds around the spool. This process lets the film strips tighten and loosen in an ongoing play of lines. As the strips have different lengths, their movement also differs, as does the time it takes for them to be coiled to the point of straightening and forming horizontal lines. At a certain interval, all seven strips of celluloid are briefly taut at the same moment and therefore in alignment. The scheme of the film strips coming loose and straightening up again creates abstract patterns. Installed in a dark frame and on the wall, the constant play of lines creates the impression of a drawn pattern that collapses again and again. Rosa Barba has described these works as "cinematic paintings."
Mending Clear Positions, 2022
Steel, glass, motors, 35 mm film, aluminum
112,5 x 150 x 12 cm
Photo: Andrea Rossetti © Rosa Barba
Mending Clear Position, 2022 has been on display at the following locations:
Esther Schipper, Berlin, 2022