ana macarthur

Constructed walls with mashriya screens, hydrocal plaster life-casts, black crepe, dichromate holograms on glass, resin, fiber optics, fabric, solar cells, slate boxes, glass bowls, halogens

2000 sq ft (185,80 m²) installation with three rooms constructed, life size figures

A journey through bui-bui;
Lifting the purdah of mal-illumination
1999

Addressing the mysterious path of sunlights role within the human organism, this installation has its roots in MacArthur's childhood in Pakistan and Afghanistan where the veil was indelibly imprinted into her visual field. This work employs the veil covering the female body (purdah) as a metaphor for light not being able to enter the human organism. It was an urge to explore the psychological and physiological depth of the significance of sunlight to the human body.

Nine life cast figures articulate various psychological states responsive with the absence or presence of light. A layering of images and materials explore the biological doorways. An interior room has three figures receiving a specific color of light into the eyes. The source of these specific frequencies of light are from three different glass bowls resting on the floor, each with a large holographic optical element inside. Each of these holograms were made from a lensing system making the resultant hologram a prism bending the light back at a specific angle and in specific frequencies. The vessels fluidly transport light versus water. Exhibited 1 1/2 years prior to the event of 9/11, this work has since taken on a new relevance.