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An Artistic Duo Suspends ‘Digital Pixels’ in Ancient Greek Ruins

Hanover and Berlin-based artists Thomas Granseuer and Tomislav Topic called Quintessenz, create site-specific installation art made from a mix of substances. For their most recent endeavor, the duo changed a derelict stone construction on the Greek island of Paxos within their Paxos Contemporary Art Project. The 400-year-old ruin was filled with layers of colorful spray-painted fabric, creating an abstract spectrum of rainbow hues.

This latest piece references some of Quintessenz's previous works, such as the Paradis Perdus (2017) installation in Les Baux-de-Provence, France, in addition to Flickering Lights (2018), made for Panorama Fashion Week in Berlin. For each installation, the creative duo cut bits of this colored, mesh-like cloth into geometric shapes and suspended them into grids and rows. When seen collectively, the fabric appears to blur and merge into soft gradients that seem like digital pixels, contrasted against the older, grey stone buildings. The floating fabric changes based on the viewer's motion and the location's natural components, challenging the viewer's perception of the distance.

Although Quintessenz's installations look incredible when caught on camera, the duo's unique functions are always best viewed in person. The artists explain,"We expect that the visitors will leave their mobile phone cameras in their pockets for a moment and simply enjoy the light and the translation of the wind in the material."

You can see the Paxos Contemporary Art Project before September 9, 2018, and watch more of Quintessenz's installments on their website and Instagram.