Fire Flows, part of the Zone Fuori Controllo cycle, is a stereoscopic 3D animation depicting a devastating volcanic eruption. Impressive hot lava flows creep across the already charred and lifeless landscape, where only a few relics remain, many of them presented as the armour or carcasses of a previous experience of life. Certain forms, like long sticks, bring to mind Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s painting of The Triumph of Death, but are actually taken from images of nanostructures. The matchlike shapes, which seem to almost counterpoint the whole landscape, are explored through electron microscopes and then subsequently modelled and reinterpreted.
ZONE FUORI CONTROLLO
The cycle of stereoscopic 3D animations of Zone Fuori Controllo which include Waterproof, Crystal Growth, Rompere le acque and Fire Flows, is dedicated to urgently current problems such as natural disasters and ecological disruption. They are “other landscapes” which establish a direct relationship with reality, an unpredictable trip through the waves of a sea storm, the mysterious gorges of a grotto, the lava flow of a volcano, or the collision of huge icebergs. The series is inspired by the idea of the sublime, and is also intended as a tribute to the protagonists of Romantic painting, such as Caspar David Friedrich or William Turner. The elements were created and modelled with the 3D digital technique, and can be regarded as the equivalent of virtual sculptures. They were inspired by nanomolecular images I have seen with the help of extremely powerful electronic microscopes. Each element is determined by a renewed visual perception, as one might imagine that every ounce of matter contains the forms and energies of the universe. The 3D stereoscopic projections enhance the mysterious, ambiguous side of forms, confronting us with an ‘aesthetic uncanny’ that undermines the coherence of our perceptual synthesis. This kind of vision envelops the whole body of observers, allowing them to take an immersive, exciting trip through the natural universe, which manifests itself in all its explosive energy. In these works, I intend to suggest a new aesthetic vision, defined by a set of reflections on current issues, such as natural or environmental disasters. As modern humanity contemplates the spectacle of catastrophe, it must first of all ask itself questions about the form and meaning of its responsibilities. What shines through the contemporary face of catastrophe is not only the violence that springs from nature’s energy, but the presumption of individuals who believe they can govern the destiny of the universe without respecting the ecosystem.