Aparna Rao: Art that craves your attention

Prevoditelj: Senzos Osijek Recezent: Sonja Žarić

Hi. So today, I'd like to share some works in progress.

Zdravo. Dakle, htjela bih podijeliti s vama neke radove u nastajanju.

Since we are still realizing these works,

Budući da su ovi radovi još u nastajanju,

we are largely working within the realm

uglavnom radimo u domeni

of intuition and mystery, still.

intuicije i zagonetki, još uvijek.

So I'm going to try and describe

Pokušat ću opisati

some of the experiences that we're looking for

neka od iskustava koja tražimo

through each of the works.

kroz svaki od radova.

So the first work is called the Imperial Monochromes.

Prvi rad je Carski Monokromi.

A viewer sort of unsuspectingly walks into the room,

Neki promatrač bezazleno ulazi u sobu,

and catches a glimpse of these panels

i baci pogled na ove ploče

in a messy composition on the wall.

u neurednoj kompoziciji na zidu.

Within seconds, as if the panels have noticed

Tijekom nekoliko sekundi, kao da su ploče primjetile

the presence of the viewer,

prisutnost promatrača,

they appear to panic and sort of get into

čini se da se uspaniče i nekako prijeđu u

a strict symmetry.

strogu simetriju.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So this is the sketch of the two states.

Tako da je ovo skica dva stanja.

One is total chaos. The other is absolute order.

Jedno je potpuni kaos. Drugo je apsolutni red.

And we were interested in seeing how little change

I zanimalo nas je koliko je malo promjene

it takes to move from one state to the other state.

potrebno za prelazak iz jednog stanja u drugo.

This also reminded us of two very different pictorial traditions.

Ovo nas je također podsjetilo na dvije vrlo različite slikovne tradicije.

One is the altar tablets of the 15th century,

Jedna su oltarne ploče iz 15. stoljeća,

and the other is about 100 years ago,

a druga je prije otprilike 100 godina,

Malevich's abstract compositions.

Maljevičeve apstraktne kompozicije.

So I'm just going to take you to a video.

Sad ću vam samo pokazati video.

To give you a sense of scale,

Da vam dočaram veličinu,

the largest panel is about two meters high.

najveća ploča je visoka oko dva metra.

That's about this much. And the smallest one is an A4.

To je otprilike ovoliko. A najmanja je A4.

So a viewer enters the space,

Tako da promatrač ulazi u prostor,

and they snap to attention.

i one se prebacuju na pozornost.

And after a while, if the viewer continues

I nakon nekog vremena, ako promatrač nastavlja

to remain in the space,

biti u prostoru,

the panels will sort of become immune

ploče će nekako postati otporne

to the presence of the viewer

na prisutnost promatrača

and become lax and autonomous again,

i ponovno će postati labave i samostalne,

until they sort of sense a presence in the room or a movement,

sve dok ne osjete prisutnost u prostoriji ili neki pokret

when they will again snap to attention.

kada će opet se prebaciti na pozornost.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So here it appears as if it's the viewer

Tako se ovdje čini kao da je promatrač

that's sort of instigating the sense of order among the panels,

taj koji potiče smisao za red među pločama,

but it could also be the other way around,

ali bi također moglo biti obrnuto,

that the panels are so stuck within

da su ploče toliko ugođene u

their preconditioned behaviors

u svoja pretpostavljena ponašanja

that they sort of thrust the viewer with the role of a tyrant.

da nekako guraju promatrača u ulogu tiranina.

So this brings me to a quieter, small work

To me dovodi do tišeg, manjeg djela

called Handheld.

zvanog Na Dlanu.

The viewer sees a piece of paper

Promatrač vidi komad papira

that's mounted on the far end of the wall,

koji je pričvršćen na drugom kraju na zid,

but when you go closer, you see that it's a blank

ali kad se približite, vidite da je to prazan

A4, or a letter-sized piece of paper,

A4, ili papir veličine pisma,

that's held on either side

kojeg sa svake strane drže

by two small hands

dvije male ruke

that appear to be carved with a great deal

koje su naizgled izrezbarene s velikom

of attention and care from a small block of wood.

pozornošću i brigom iz malog komada drveta.

The viewer also sees that this entire sculpture

Promatrač također vidi da ova cijela skulptura

is sort of moving very slightly,

se nekako pomalo pomiče,

as if these two hands are trying

kao da te dvije ruke pokušavaju

to hold the paper very still

jako mirno držati papir

for a long period of time,

duži vremenski period,

and somehow are not managing to.

ali nekako ne uspijevaju.

So this instability in the movement

Ta nestabilnost u pokretu

very closely resembles the unsteady nature

je vrlo slična nestabilnoj prirodi

of images seen through a handheld camera.

slika koje se vide kroz kompaktnu kameru.

So here I'm going to show you two tandem clips.

Pokazat ću vam ovdje dva uzastopna video isječka.

One is through a still camera

Jedan je kroz stabilnu kameru,

and the other is through a handheld camera.

a drugi je kroz kameru držanu u ruci.

And you immediately see how the unsteady nature

Odmah vidite kako nestabilna priroda

of the video suggests the presence

video isječka nagoviještava prisutnost

of an observer and a subjective point of view.

promatrača i subjektivnu perspektivu.

So we've just removed the camera

Tako da smo samo maknuli kameru

and transferred that movement onto the panel.

i prenijeli taj pokret na ploču.

So here's a video.

Evo video isječka.

You have to imagine the other hand. It's not there yet.

Morate zamislitu drugu ruku. Još nije ovdje.

But to us, we're sort of trying to evoke

Ali za nas, mi nekako pokušavamo izazvati

a self-effacing gesture, as if there's a little person

skromnu gestu, kao da je mala osoba

with outstretched arms

s ispruženim rukama

behind this enormous piece of paper.

iza ovog ogromnog komada papira.

That sort of likens it to the amount of strain

To nekako pričinjava njezinu količinu napora

to be at the service of the observer and present

da bude na usluzi promatraču i prikaže

this piece of paper very delicately to the viewer

vrlo pažljivo ovaj komad papira promatraču

in front of them.

ispred nje.

The next work is Decoy.

Sljedeći rad je Mamac.

This is a cardboard model, so the object

Ovo je kartonski model, pa je objekt

is about as tall as I am.

visok otpriliko koliko i ja.

It has a rounded body, two arms,

Ima okruglo tijelo, dvije ruke,

and a very tall, head-like antenna,

i vrlo visoku antenu nalik na glavu,

and its sole purpose is to attract attention towards itself.

a jedina mu je svrha privlačenje pozornosti.

So when a viewer passes by,

Tako da kad promatrač prolazi,

it sort of tilts from side to side,

nekako se naginje s jedne strane na drugu,

and moves its arms more and more frantically

i sve žustrije pomiče ruke

as the person gets closer.

dok se osoba približava.

So here is the first test scenario.

Ovdje je prva testna situacija.

You see the two movements integrated,

Vidite objedinjena ta dva pokreta,

and the object seems to be employing

i čini se da je objekt angažirao

its entire being in this expression of desperation.

cijelog sebe u ovom izražaju očaja.

But the idea is that once it's got the person's attention,

Ali ideja je da jednom kad zadobije pozornost osobe,

it's no longer interested, and it looks for the next person whose attention to get.

nije više zainteresiran, i traži iduću osobu čiju će pozornost zadobiti.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So this is the final fabricated body of the Decoy.

Ovo je konačno proizvedeno tijelo Mamca.

It appears to be mass-manufactured

Čini se kao da je rezultat masovne proizvodnje,

like it came out of a factory

kao da je izašlo iz tvornice

like vacuum cleaners and washing machines.

poput usisivača i perilica za rublje.

Because we are always working

Budući da uvijek radimo

from a very personal space,

u jako osobno prostoru,

we like how this consumer aesthetic

sviđa nam se kako ova potrošačka estetika

sort of depersonalizes the object

nekako depersonalizira predmet

and gives us a bit of distance

i daje nam malo distance

in its appearance, at least.

barem u svom izgledu.

And so to us this is a kind of sinister being

I tako da je to za nas neko nastrano biće

which is trying to distract you from the things

koje vas pokušava odvratiti od stvari

that actually need your attention,

koje zapravo trebaju vašu pozornost,

but it could also be a figure that needs a lot of help.

ali također može biti i figura koja treba mnogo pomoći.

The next work is an object,

Sljedeće dijelo je predmet,

that's also a kind of sound instrument.

koji je također vrsta zvučnog instrumenta.

In the shape of an amphitheater

U obliku amfiteatra

that's scaled to the size of an audience

koji je veličine publike

as perceived from somebody from the stage.

viđene iz perspektive nekoga sa pozornice.

So from where I'm standing,

Sa mjesta gdje stojim,

each of you appears to be this big,

svatko od vas se čini toliko velik,

and the audience sort of takes the entire

i publika zapravo zauzima cijelo

field of my vision.

moje vizualno polje.

Seated in this audience are 996 small figures.

U ovoj publici sjedi 996 malih figurica.

They're mechanically enabled to clap

Mehinički im je omogućeno da plješću

of their own free will.

svojom slobodnom voljom.

This means that each of them can decide

To znači da svatko od njih može odlučiti

if and when they want to clap,

ako žele i kada žele pljeskati,

how hard, for how long,

koliko jako, koliko dugo,

how they want to be influenced by those around them or influence others,

kako žele da na njih utječu drugi ili da utječu na druge,

and if they want to contribute to innovation.

i žele li doprinijeti ovaciji.

So when the viewer steps in front of the audience,

Tako da kad promatrač stane ispred publike,

there will be a response.

bit će odgovora.

It could be a few claps or a strong applause,

To može biti malo pljeskanja ili veliki pljesak,

and then nothing happens until the viewer

i potom se ništa ne događa dok promatrač

leaves the stage, and again the audience will respond.

ne ode sa pozornice, i tada će publika opet reagirati.

It could be anything from a few feeble claps

To može biti bilo što od malo slabog pljeskanja

from members in the audience,

od strane članova publike,

or it could be a very loud ovation.

ili može biti vrlo glasna ovacija.

So to us, I think we're really looking

Tako da za nas, mislim da zapravo gledamo

at an audience as its own object

na publiku kao zaseban predmet

or its own organism

zaseban organizam

that's also got a sort of musical-like quality to it,

koji također ima neke glazbene karakteristike,

an instrument.

jedan instrument.

So the viewer can play it

Tako da ga promatrač može svirati

by eliciting quite complex and varied,

izazivanjem vrlo složenih i različitih,

nuanced musical or sound patterns,

nijansiranih glazbenih ili zvukovnih obrazaca,

but cannot really provoke the audience

ali ne može zapravo isprivocirati publiku

into any particular kind of response.

na bilo kakav specifičan odgovor.

So there's a sense of judgment and capriciousness

Tu je uključeno osjećanje presude i hirovitosti

and uneasiness involved.

te nelagode.

It also has an alluring and trap-like quality to it.

Također ima primamljivu karakteristiku nalik na zamku.

So here if you see we're quite excited about

Tako da smo ovdje, ako vidite, jako uzbuđeni zbog

the image of the head splitting to form the two hands.

slike glave koja se cijepa i formira dvije ruke.

So here's a small visual animation,

Ovdje je mala vizualna animacija,

as if the two sides of the brain are sort of clashing

kao da se dvije strane mozga nekako sukobavljaju

against each other to kind of make sense

jedna protiv druge kako bi dali smisao

of the duality and the tension.

dvojnosti i napetosti.

And here is a prototype.

I evo prototipa.

So we can't wait to be engulfed by 996 of them.

Tako da jedva čekamo da nas zahvati 996 njih.

Okay, this is the last work. It's called the Framerunners.

Dobro, ovo je zadnji rad. Zove se Trkači u Rešetci.

It comes out of the idea of a window.

Proizašao je iz ideje prozora.

This is an actual window in our studio,

Ovo je stvarni prozor u našem studiju,

and as you can see, it's made up of three

i kao što možete vidjeti, sastoji se od tri

different thicknesses of wooden sections.

različito debelih drvenih dijelova.

So we used the same window vocabulary

Tako smo koristili isti prozorski rječnik

to construct our own frame or grid

kako bismo napravili svoj vlastiti okvir ili rešetku

that's suspended in the room and that can

koji visi u sobi i koji se može

be viewed from two sides.

gledati s dvije strane.

This grid is inhabited by a tribe of small figures.

Ovu rešetku nastanjuje pleme malih figura.

They're also made up of three different sizes,

Također dolaze u tri različite veličine,

as if to suggest a kind of perspective

kao da predočavaju neku perspektivu

or landscape on the single plain.

ili pejzaž u jednoj ravnini.

Each of these figures can also run backward

Svaka od figura se također može ići nazad

and forward in the track

i naprijed u svojoj stazi

and hide behind two adjacent tracks.

ili se sakriti iza dviju susjednih staza.

So in contrast to this very tight grid,

Dakle u suprotnošću s ovom ograničenom rešetkom,

we wanted to give these figures a very comical

htjeli smo dati ovim figurama vrlo komičnu

and slapstick-like quality,

i otkačenu karakteristiku,

as if a puppeteer has taken them

kao da ih je lutkar uzeo

and physically animated them down the path.

i fizički ih animirao na putu.

So we like the idea of these figures

Tako da nam se sviđa ideja ovih figura

sort of skipping along

koje zapravo skakuću uz put

like they're oblivious and carefree

kao da su nesvjesne i bez briga

and happy-go-lucky and content,

i stvarno bezbrižno zadovoljne

until they sort of sense a movement from the viewer

dok nekako ne osjete pokrete promatrača

and they will hide behind the fastest wall.

kada će se sakriti iza najbržeg zida.

So to us, this work also presents its own contradiction.

Zato za nas ovaj rad predstavlja svoju vlastitu proturječnost.

These figures are sort of entrapped

Ove figure su zapravo zarobljene

within this very strong grid,

unutar ove vrlo snažne rešetke

which is like a prison, but also a fortress,

koja je kao zatvor, ali također i utvrda

because it allows them to be oblivious

jer im dopušta da budu nesvjesni

and naive and carefree and quite oblivious

naivni i bezbrižni i vrlo nesvjesni

of the external world.

vanjskog svijeta.

So all these real life qualities that I talk about

Tako da sve ove karakteristike stvarnog svijeta o kojima pričam

are sort of translated to a very specific

su zapravo prevedene u vrlo specifičnu

technical configuration,

tehničku konfiguraciju,

and we were very lucky to collaborate

i imali smo sreće da smo surađivali

with ETH Zurich to develop the first prototype.

sa ETH iz Züricha kako bi razvili prvi prototip.

So you see they extracted the motion cogs

Vidite, oni su razvili zupčanike za pokrete

from our animations and created a wiggle

iz naših animacija i stvorili spravicu

that integrated the head-bobbing movement

koja je spojila pokret klimanja glavom

and the back-and-forth movement.

te pokret naprijed i nazad.

So it's really quite small.

Tako da je jako mala.

You can see it can fit into the palm of my hand.

Kao što vidite može stati na moj dlan.

So imagine our excitement when we saw it

možete zamisliti naše uzbuđenje kad smo ju vidjeli

really working in the studio, and here it is.

kako stvarno radi u studiju, i evo je.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)