Fatima Al Qadiri & Transforma | Thomas Wilfred | David OReilly

Fatima Al Qadiri & Transforma: Extraordinary Alien

”Extraordinary Alien” is based on the US artist visa classification, “alien with extraordinary ability”. It plays with the double meaning of the word “alien” and the notion that all outer space aliens are inherently extraordinary, from the perspective of lowly earthlings. This explains the tendency in science fiction films towards glimpses leading up to a big reveal when the alien is fully unveiled in front of the viewer. This reveal is often followed by disappointment in the alien form, one that rarely meets our extraordinary expectations. How is it that our imagination is incapable of creating a compelling alien form beyond a scant selection perpetuated by Hollywood films?

In this work, the artists explore the push and pull of tension, repetition and expectation – what is being revealed? Using a collection of simple materials, a range of textures is generated to appear as planetary surfaces, galaxies and alien skins. The use of these materials is deliberate, aiming to highlight the sci-fi qualities of earthly objects. The soundtrack is based on a single phrase repeated with different sounds as a motif for the alien and their environment that are teased, but never fully revealed.

Thomas Wilfred: Opus 79 “Multidimensional” (1932)

With his lumia instruments that created compositions from electrical, mechanical and reflective elements, the American light artist Thomas Wilfred (1889-1968) created a new art form at the crossroads between technology and modern art. The light paintings he composed – meditative, northern lights-like colour symphonies –, and which he presented quietly without musical accompaniment, earned him a place in the Museum of Modern Art, New York as part of the exhibition “15 Americans” in 1952 together with Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.

In collaboration with the Epstein Collection and Stiftung Planetarium Berlin, four of his works that were originally presented as screen and ceiling projections have been re-filmed and adapted for the first time for the largest visual space of our age, allowing them to be experienced in a new way. His symphonies will be presented in silence.

David OReilly: The End of Stories

“The End of Stories” is a collage of 37 perspectives of people from around the world coping with the turbulence of pandemic life. The anonymous callers express their personal thoughts and feelings, sharing an inability to imagine the future. Each perspective is represented visually with cascades of choreographed space-debris, animated primarily by the voice of each speaker. “The End of Stories” ties in with David OReilly’s “Corona Voicemails” trilogy and expands it into an immersive fulldome experience.