Sculpture Causa
Installation, Web & Print Design
Design, construction and documentation in print and web of the interactive concrete sculpture Causa on the theme of “cause and effect”.
IGNOTUM FUTURUM
For the Ignotum Futurum (Latin for uncertain or unknown future) exhibition in Stuttgart 2022, Bartholomaedesign created an exhibit entitled Causa (Latin for reason). It is a scenographic installation - a 1.44 m tall, interactive sculpture made of concrete. Everything we encounter in the future is connected to our present or past actions. It arises from the conditions we have created and can be traced back to them. With Causa, the law of causality is staged so that cause and effect can be experienced directly.
CAUSA SCULPTURE
The sculpture shows four concrete cubes stacked on top of each other and fitted with movable cylinders. Causa is therefore an interactive sculpture that changes when the cylinders are moved. The result of a cylinder movement in the lower cube can only be understood to a limited extent and is based more on guesswork and assumption. The upper cubes are different: they have recesses that allow an insight into the movement of the cylinders. The insights increase towards the top, so that in the upper cube the recesses offer an almost full view of the cylinders. This gives the performer comprehensive knowledge of cause and effect. Every movement on a cylinder is obvious and can therefore be controlled. If a cylinder is pushed out completely, it no longer participates in the movement. Once all the cylinders have been pushed beyond their tipping points, the interactivity of the sculpture ceases.
Causa illustrates the importance of insights that allow us to better understand causal relationships and their effects. Actors enter into a playful confrontation with causality. They experience cause and effect and reflect on the consequences of a movement or action.
For some, the law of causality may be a postulate, but in our world of experience, only the search for the cause (Latin: causa) creates order. Every being strives to fathom what it has experienced. An understanding of cause and effect always means an advantage and progress. Only when there is a clear idea of the movements and their consequences can purposeful action be taken. The Causa sculpture shows us how helpful insights that provide additional information are for understanding. Some insights are obvious, others we have to work hard for. Sometimes a change of perspective is necessary.
To make looking into and immersing ourselves in Causa even more exciting, bartholomaedesign contrasted the smooth outer concrete surfaces with fossil structures on the inside. These encourage visitors to explore the perspectives that arise from the different positions.
Insights allow us to see what triggers our actions and we don‘t just have to rely on assumptions. We can react and take countermeasures or refrain from taking action out of caution and responsibility. The four cubes therefore also symbolize the stages of development. Only at the highest level is a comprehensive understanding given through insight and sensible action possible.
EXHIBIT
The question of cause and effect has preoccupied people since time immemorial. An understanding of cause and effect always means an advantage and progress. Only when we have a clear idea of the movements and their consequences can we act responsibly. The idea for the sculpture was born when the fight against the coronavirus was dominating the news. The question of our behaviour was polarizing. Over time, science gained more and more insight. Vaccines were developed as a result of this insight and we learned to behave preventively. The threat of corona has diminished. In medicine, it is customary to strive for insight.
Nowadays, this necessity generally seems necessary. In an increasingly complex world with a multitude of movements, reflexive, blind action or reaction is dangerous. It rarely serves the cause. We are currently experiencing escalations in politics that would perhaps not have occurred in the first place if we had taken a closer look at motives and been more careful and sensitive at tipping points. The laws of cause and effect, the consequences of our actions, are always worth considering.
We also find the analogy to the push and pull forces in Causa in interpersonal relationships. It is helpful to gain an insight into what moves the other person, where pressure builds up and when tipping points are reached. The question of what I am causing with this or that action, with this or that choice of words, with facial expressions or gestures, creates an awareness of the movement in the other person and of the dynamics of the relationship. If you take this into account, a harmonious exchange can develop. The paradox is that we humans sometimes knowingly - i.e. with insight into cause and effect - bring about an undesirable situation. In the case of climate change, for example, we know the consequences of our actions. However, we do not refrain from further accelerating global warming, which will inevitably lead to tipping points.
PRESENTATION
Due to its proximity to the theme of the “Ignotum Futurum” exhibition, “Causa” adorned several of the exhibition‘s advertising banners. Bartholomaedesign was responsible for the visual design of the exhibition, including banners, posters, cards and flyers. To accompany this, a website was created for Causa, where interested visitors could find all the information about the sculpture. It was designed in such a way that it could also be used on mobile devices. The elaborate construction process of Causa was documented in a book (148x105mm), which shows all the steps from the model to the final appearance of the concrete cubes.
The sculpture shows four concrete cubes stacked on top of each other and fitted with movable cylinders. The recesses, which increase towards the top, provide an increasing insight into the result of a cylinder movement.
The sculpture had its first interaction at the annual exhibition of the Kunstakademie Stuttgart and was presented as an exhibit in the Ignotum Futurum exhibition.
Causa illustrates the law of cause and effect (causality). The consequence of an action is experienced directly by pushing the cylinder. Actors thus also participate in the shape of the sculpture.
The results of a cylinder movement can only be guessed at in the lower cube. In the upper cubes, the recesses allow an increasingly better understanding of the consequences of an interaction.
In Causa, the four cubes represent four levels of understanding about cause and effect. With more insight into a situation, you can better assess the consequences of actions.
Camera movements allow visitors to the website to immerse themselves in the sculpture. The distinctive sound of the cylinder moving sounds different in every cube. A passer-by curiously explores the Causa placed in Rosenstein Park.
Bartholomaedesign created studio shots of Causa, which were used for the website. They serve to explain the sculpture in all its aspects and references.
The shots in the dark emphasize the gloomy aspect of the tipping points. When cylinders are pushed beyond a critical point, something irreversible is created.
The funnel-shaped recesses not only reveal glimpses of the cylinders. Fossil structures can be found inside the cubes and form a contrast to the smooth outer walls and the smooth concrete cylinders.
To do this, the negative forms of the recesses first had to be covered with clay and shaped. The upper fourth cube with its numerous recesses posed a particular challenge.
Casting the cubes and the precisely fitting cylinders is a demanding and time-consuming process. The construction process of Causa was documented in a small book that shows all the steps from the model to the final appearance of the concrete cubes.
Posters, flyers and a leaflet were produced for the “Ignotum Futurum” exhibition, which was available to take away. Outside, tall banners advertised the exhibition.
In Stuttgart's Rosenstein Park, the sculpture developed its full charm in frosty temperatures. The resting expression of the closed Causa fitted into the morning scenery. The awakening of Causa.
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