Culture Caucus
Maya
Shanthi Chandrasekar
Cut paper, wood, mirror adhesive
Welcome Pavilion at the REACH
The Maya installation was inspired by various concepts and theories in physics ranging from the quantum to the cosmic realms. The varying sizes of the holes refer to the scales in the universe, the layers of paper to different dimensions, and the patterns of the holes symbolize the symmetries and asymmetries that make matter and life possible. The same white paper changes in value as light and shadows dance on its surface reminding us of ephemerality that can span from a billionth of a second to billions of years.
Apr. 5 - 14, 2024
Genre
Exhibits
Many years ago, I filled a whole sheet of paper with lines close to each other. It was the beginning of a series based on a grid and a simple rule of my own making that determined the interaction of the lines. I would repeat the steps until complex patterns emerged that gave the illusion of depth. The word Maya has multiple meanings in Indian philosophy and one of them is illusion. I used this title to refer to the image of complexity that had evolved from a simple start and decided to apply it to dots. The small punched-out circles indicate infinity, and the holes in the paper become voids as the interplay between positive and negative spaces and between of light and shadow evokes a sense of illusion.
You hold a tiny grain of sand
And take out all the atoms
Can you imagine an emptier place
A tiny piece of empty space?
Each atom gone is not enough
Evacuated all the stuff
We even took out all the air
Could it be simpler, nothing there?
But wait – inside there’s gravity
We couldn’t simply take that out
But let it fall and float in space
Perhaps it’s now an empty place.
If enclosed in a tiny shell
It’s dark inside, no light comes in
But unless cold as ice it’s said
The walls glow warm in infrared.
Now cool it down so microwaves
With longer wavelengths can’t fit in
Magnetic fields can be removed
At least our vacuum has improved.
Are we there yet? Not quite, no
The Higgs field – space is full of it
Dark energy is also there.
We think that must be everywhere.
Reality is more complex
As Heisenberg explained
Proved energy can fluctuate
Then vanishes if you look too late.
All matter virtually exists
In little loops and frothy things
A short exposure’s just a flicker
More energy’s there if you look quicker.
Shorten the time in which you look
Top quarks and W and Zee
More particles come into play
Space more complex than we can say.
At last we reach Planck space and time
Down there are frothy strings and loops
What started with simplicity
Evolved into complexity.
All physics in that grain of sand.
Culture Caucus Member
All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.
Free Admission 10 a.m. to Midnight
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