Elisa Balmaceda (born 1985) works as an experimental multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and teacher. Balmaceda's project investigates the materiality of light, energy and communication technologies, and explores the question of how these concepts influence our perceptions of time and space, reality and imagination. Elisa Balmaceda has been experimenting with the phenomenon of electromagnetic fields since 2015, transforming her research into artistic interventions in public spaces.
"Victory Over the Sun" was originally created as one of such interventions. Balmaceda planned to install a neon logo undera power line that was to be illuminated solely by the electromagnetic field under the line. Her idea was inspired by a demonstration in which people marched under power lines with neon lights that were lit up as the invisible flowing energy of the air connected with the earth. However, the technical complexity of the project, the safety provisions of the grid operator and the land rights of the property owner meant that the project could not be brought to life in this form, so the project evolved into a long-term study. During her research, the artist scouted landscapes, visited archives and sought dialogue with local residents, activists and employees at energy companies. She turned the relics of her field studies - countless photos and video recordings - into a book. Topics include electromagnetism, radiesthesia, resistance, shielding, occultism and renatured landscapes. The visible and invisible impacts of man-made and natural energy fields on today's post-natural landscape are obvious. #VISIT2016
Website of Elisa Balmaceda
