Vanessa Billy
A Hole in the Sky, 2023
Site-specific installation with 25 m long rubber conveyor belt
Courtesy of the artist
Supported by Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia & Derossi metali
Since April 2023, a long belt has hung from the 40-metre-high chimney in Labin that can be seen from far and wide: a discarded rubber conveyor belt. Like a wide noodle (“papardelle”), the long black-grey belt encompasses the uppermost part of the structure, winding its way eastwards, westwards, southwards or northwards, depending on the wind conditions, offering viewers a constantly changing spectacle. The industrial chimney becomes a sculpture in the sense of Constantin Brâncuși, the conveyor belt is a “readymade” in the spirit of Marcel Duchamp. A Hole in the Sky, created by Swiss artist Vanessa Billy (*1978) is a fascinating art intervention that cannot be perceived in its entirety from any perspective – neither from above, nor from below, nor from the sides. Viewers are forced to imagine the invisible for themselves, to fathom the mysterious reverse side of the artwork with their own imaginations, thus virtually completing it.
Vanessa Billy A Hole in the Sky, 2023 Site-specific installation, Labin. Photo by Jules Spinatsch
Od travnja 2023. godine na daleko se vidi kako na 40 metara visokom dimnjaku u Labinu visi dugačak remen: odbačena, industrijska, gumena pokretna traka. Poput širokog rezanca (“papardelle”), dugi crno-sivi remen obuhvaća najviši dio dimnjaka, i ovisno o vjetru obrće se prema istoku, zapadu, jugu ili sjeveru, nudeći gledateljima spektakl koji se neprestano mijenja. Industrijski dimnjak postaje skulptura na način Constantina Brâncușija, a pokretna traka “readymade” u duhu Marcela Duchampa. “Rupa na nebu” švicarske umjetnice Vanesse Billy (*1978.) fascinantan je umjetnički zahvat, koji se ne može sagledati u cijelosti iz bilo koje perspektive – ni odozgo, ni odozdo, ni sa strane. Gledatelji su prisiljeni sami zamišljati nevidljivo, vlastitom maštom dokučiti misterioznu, sakrivenu stranu umjetničkog djela, čime ga virtualno dovršavaju.