A Project by Natalia Escobar

A Small Spot in the Night Sky

Natalia Escobar’s project proposal A Small Spot in the Night Sky aims to investigate both the psychological and physiological aspects of human perception through the experience of dreaming. In an immersive sound and light installation, she intends to progressively warp rational and arranged reality, causing it to operate on a completely different level of perception. The immersion in this new state will create a dreamlike experience.

“My aim with this work is to create an experience the same way as dreams do. When one wakes up from dreaming, the images of the dream are not as vivid, but one is left with the feeling that one has lived something, that one has been somewhere.”

 

Through a compilation of audio interviews in which visually impaired people share their dreaming experiences, Natalia Escobar explores the possibilities of transmitting this specific state of mind. Audial and visual impressions merge into a unique perceptual experience. The spatial disposition of surround sound will be a key tool to encapsulate a relaxed, meditative and dream-like mood. The project proposal draws on the work of Brion Gysin, who, together with Ian Sommerville, created the Dreamachine, a stroboscopic flicker device that produces visual stimuli. His strategy of developing a special tool for detaching the conscious from the unconscious influenced Natalia Escobar in her idea.
Natalia Escobar’s work encompasses experimental installations combined with sculptural objects, photography, video and sound. Audience-directed perception has been an ongoing interest in her work, and she has explored that interest through different artistic techniques. Her installations Oneiric and Ombrophilia involve visitors by means of immersive experiences that lead to a physical engagement between the viewer, the work and the surrounding space. A similar approach is evident in her photographic project Inside Out, two large black and white gelatin silver prints depicting the same subject shot with different focal settings. By causing the viewer’s perception to alternate, this diptych draws attention to the different levels within the image.

Natalia Escobar is an artist living in Berlin. You can browse other pojects mentioned in her portfolio at nataliaescobar.com

Photos: Natalia Escobar