The Naked Eye (installation)
diptychs 7' x 8', four teak lawn chairs, various flashlights, sound-track
2008

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The Naked Eye installation consists of a series of large-format paintings depicting an accurate representation of the night sky. The painting's deeply coloured, layered texture speaks of the depth and hidden treasures found in the night sky for anyone who owns a telescope. Looking closely at each painting, the viewer can spot deep-sky objects such as nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies.

Each painting comes with a free star map, allowing the viewer to track down the various NGC and Messier objects. For the Naked Eye event, the gallery's lights were dimmed. Four teak lawn charis were positioned in the centre of the gallery, each facing one of the paintings. Visitors were encouraged to sit in the chairs, pick up a star map and one of the provided flashlights, and start to explore the sky. The round spot of light created by the flashlight on the canvases served as a parallel to the view through an eyepiece in a telescope, underlining the idea of observation and exploration.

To complement the atmosphere of a quiet summer's night of stargazing, a sound-track of crickets, birdsong, and frogs filled the air of the gallery.

This installation was specifically created for the Nuit Blanche à Montréal event which took place on March 1, 2008.