'Urban Folly – Robot Stillness' takes place in a dark corner with a flat, square mat on the floor next to a black mannequin. From her head, while we go past cheek bones and neck, we see buildings growing down the mannequin as if they are electric wires following a fractal search path until they fade into the black at the bottom. Rather abstract, done in chromium paint, one wonders would it look like dripping wet hair or the roots of an electric tree under the city?
On the head of the mannequin is a headband with a pico-projector mounted on it. It projects the painting Urban Folly, the counterpart of the neon sign with the same name. A robot drawn after the buildings fades in and out so that the buildings very slowly become the robot, which becomes the buildings, which become the robot, which… While playing, the pico-projector speaks a poem about the robot being still inside – a robot knows emotion nor thought – using mock computer commands. The voice is coarse and mechanical.
Visitors are to sit on the mat and put the headband on. They project the image on the wall, aiming between four picture-frame corners, two of which are traditional dragons, the other phoenixes, handcrafted by local artisans. The poem takes six minutes with long pauses and the visitors’ challenge is to keep their heads still to have the projection stay within the frame, which is an exercise to become still inside. Only if the visitor is prepared to pay full attention will the slight differences in the pictures faded in and out be seen...
