We consider art as a combination of 3 core elements: aesthetics to please the eyes, functionality to appease the mind, and interactivity to entertain the soul while both eyes and mind are at work. This is what we try to synthesize in every one of our creations, because, for an ideal to become part of reality, the synthesis is creation.The Synthetic Dichotomy is meant to create a world that can be entered, activated and hopefully understood. The installation brings the people to a place where they can recognize and engage their own opposite, the ir shadow. It invites them to celebrate the paradox of light and darkness within all of us.
This is a human-operated machine requiring the labor of at least one person for activation. We construct the machine but we need others to bring it to life. We want people to be part of the whole, to operate the engine with their bodies, thereby, determining the rhythm of th e video projection. The structure is powered by a mechanic circuit that is activated as people begin pedaling the mysterious apparatus they are sitting on. With their own energy, people determine the speed of the shadow ballerina dancing around the pyramid.
This was an ambitious project and true to form we spent many sleepless nights going through multiple prototypes; arguments and discoveries. Sadly there was a serious bicycle accident that occurred a month before the deadline and we weren’t able to recover quick enough to finish the project on time for the festival. The build stopped short of the finish line but it will continue when we find the right way to integrate it into something new and it will definitely be making a year late appearance at nowhere 2012.