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Thermodynamic
Conservation, 1997 photographs
By
Eric Ringsby& Carmen Mariscal. Made in Chicago, Illinois 1997 and
shown in Mexico City, Mexico 1997
The
photographs on the right were taken by Ringsby & Mariscal in the making
of the Thermodynamic Conservation, 1997 artist video. First four separate
video were shot of both artist's bodies and faces. Then the images were
video projected on to the artists themselves. Carmen's face was projected
onto her torso and torso projected onto her face. The same procedure was
followed for Eric. The artist video was made in the same procedure used
to make the photographs only a Hi-8 video camera was used to record the
images instead of a 35mm camera.
Thermodynamic
Conservation, 1997.
By
Eric Ringsby& Carmen Mariscal. IV Concutso
de
Instalacion y Ambientacion. Mexico City, Mexico.
The following images were taken of Thermodynamic Conservation, 1997
at the Mexican National Exhibition of Installation Art..
Central to the work is the 1920's Frigid-Aire refrigerator. It was displayed
with doors open and humming with electricity. In front of it, based
on a cold marble pedestal was the video projector, itself built into
a vintage metal ice chest. The projector pivoted to the left and right
at timed intervals. Onto to the cold machine, which appeared as a fat
human figure with arms wide open, appeared sensual and warm images of
a man and of a woman.
The video images were in warm sepia tones. The overall effect is of
being trapped inside one's self. Desire, sexuality and eroticism are
contained with a mechanized body. Although restrained, human sensuality
remains alive in private thoughts and dreams. The erotic is not destroyed
by technology and the mechanization of modern society; it persists and
adapts to the new forms, even if cut off and forgotten.
Complementing the video projection, two mirrored shelves were covered
in scientific glassware. Like religious altars, and in reference to
the deification of science, the shelves were built into the walls on
either side of the fridge. Emerged in purified water inside pipettes,
test tubes, beakers and titration valves are the transparent sepia tone
images of a man and a woman, the artists.
The pieces were dissected and cut into little parts by science and technology
as if DNA samples. Science can identity one by DNA, blood type, finger
print, etc. but it can not identify human desire or human eroticism.
And where is the human soul; where is God? just as matter can not be
destroyed, only rearranged (the Law of Thermodynamic Conservation of
Matter) personality can not be destroyed only rearranged and the same
is true for the human soul.
One can change ones identity continuously, have it trapped and sealed
off from the world, have one's identity dissected on the level of proteins
(DNA analysis) and yet ones essential make up remains. And this installation
is something of a laboratory for the investigation of who were are in
spite of the scientific evidence.
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