The 16mm film Above the Plate and Receiver (2016) is connected to Barba’s ongoing White Museum series, in which projections of clear film are used to alter awareness of the landscape and built environment. This instance took place at the Hirsch Observatory at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York, in 2015. Set to electronic music, the film follows the smooth, graceful movements of the observatory’s telescope. The projection highlights the observatory’s machinery and architecture, eventually casting its beam of light through the open ceiling. A poetic reflection on space and time, Above the Plate and Receiver points towards the autonomy of technology (its ability to operate and learn independently), and the limits of human knowledge.
Above the Plate and Receiver, 2016
16mm film, optical sound; 5 min.
Images 1, 2, 3: Film still © Rosa Barba
Image 4: Exhibition view at Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany, 2016. Photo: Norbert Miguletz © Rosa Barba
Above the Plate and Receiver, 2016 has been on display at the following locations:
Wäinö Altnonen Museum of Art, Turku 2020/2021
Schirn Frankfurt, 2016, Remai Modern, Saskatoon 2018
Tabakalera Donostia, San Sebastian, 2018
MAXXI - National Museum of 21st Century Art, Rome, 2017