black smoking mirror
a project by martijn van boven and gert-jan prins
black smoking mirror is a performance in which the principle of reflection is central. by building a fixed screen of inflammable canvas,
with the cinemascope aspect ratio, which after combustion caused by a laser, carries the remains of the light engraving.
black smoking mirror is a symbolic expression about the transformation time of resistance, friction and obstruction of the canvas
(the screen) by laser engraving. surrounded by an electronic sound field, resulting in a frightening experience for the spectator.
the black smoking mirror is slightly tilted as a radio telescope standing loose in the performance space waiting like as a nitrate film and
its emulsion to become a last frame of a scorched image due to the energy of the laser engraving. after the completion of the performance,
the last frame, remains on-site carrying the indelible traces in the screen.
as part of the black smoking mirror a clay tablet made of boulder formed in a 16mm. film canister. the clay tablet traces,
lines engraved and scorched marks formed by gunpowder ignited by laser light. the clay tablet can also be seen as
a short-lived object between different parts of the noise & matter trilogy.
after completing their vertical cinema project walzkörpersperre prins & van boven started to work on a trilogy named noise & matter.
it consists of the film walzkörpersperre, the performance black smoking mirror and experimental project deep space ceramics.
in these works they convey through elementary technological material concepts of conflict zones by rudimentary elements of light,
electronic frequencies and chemical transformations through heating, capturing and storing these in media.
performances:
eye film institute world premiere november 11 2014, amsterdam, nl
international film festival rotterdam 2015, rotterdam, nl
transmediale 2015, berlin, d
zkm karlsruhe, festival globale 2015, d
festival audible 2015, paris, f
inscience festival 2015, nijmegen, nl
mapping festival 2016, geneva
golffestival 2019, haarlem
