INSTALLATION ART
Höller, Carsten
Belgium / Sweden (1961 - )
Neon Circle
2001
Aluminum and cold cathode tubes
90 1/2 x 211 in. (229.9 x 535.9 cm) overall, diameter
Gift of William and Ruth True
FA 2007.68

Standing amidst the aluminum armature, power cords, and flashing lights of Neon Circle, viewers begin to experience a peculiar state of mind. Baldo Hauser, scientist and pseudonym of artist Carsten Höller, describes this effect as “something near a loss of orientation, a kind of perplexity of not knowing what to do, a reduced ability to maneuver – while, at the same time, experiencing joyful, happy, self-sufficient, purified, introspective feelings.” As the mind and body synchronize with the machine, altered perceptions, even mild hallucinations, are possible.

According to the theory of Gestalt psychology, the brain inherently pieces together multiple, simultaneous perceptions to arrive at an orderly, holistic experience of the world. Neon Circle floods our vision to trick this system. The sequential on/off of the neon tubes gives rise to a sense of disembodied motion known as the phi phenomenon, often described as a moving cloud of background color surrounding flashing objects. The effect of multi-stability also comes into play. Here ambiguous spatial perceptions cause foreground and background to suddenly shift, akin to M.C. Escher’s graphic art or the appearance of flashing marquee lights moving in one direction and then suddenly moving in the other. Our willing participation is essential for this sculpture to achieve a greater significance beyond the entertainment of the carnivalesque. Individual transformation, even on a limited or momentary basis, is the artist’s ultimate wish. Neon Circle, along with other light works, kinetic installations, and participatory multi-story slides, verges on the utopian. Höller, again assuming the scientific voice of Baldo Hauser, argues that “a device which alters perception and questions the certainty of the pretended necessity of the order of things . . . aims at manifesting that things could always be different.” -- Label copy for Carsten Höller Neon Circle, March 3 to May 13, 2007.

Whether sending us down 40-foot long slides or inducing mild visual hallucinations inside a circle of neon tubes, the scientist-turned-artist Carsten Höller offers viewers fleeting moments of transformation. For those willing to suspend their expectations, Höller's interactive installations offer an experience of art that is multi-sensory, even extrasensory. Neon Circle, a promised gift to the Henry from the collection of William and Ruth True, will be on view this spring, reverberating with Elusive Signs: Bruce Nauman Works with Light. Alongside Nauman's insistent probing of physical and psychological experience, Höller's work with light continues to push artistic experimentation with altered states to another mind-bending level. -- Label copy for East Gallery, March 3 to May 13, 2007.