Off Limits

NO pope NO

5 June 2012

A year ago there was a massive manifestation (and demonstration) of Catholic power @ the Madrilian Cuatrovientos aerodrome… it was the Catholic olympic games, also known as World Youth Day. A perfect ocassion to use Julius Von Bismarck’s “Fulgurator”, a device that while triggered by a flash, enables an image to be projected on an object exactly at the moment when someone else is photographing it. So they decided to project Santiago Sierra’s NO, part of his NO world tour.

No Projection by Julius Von Bismark & Santiago Sierra
No Projection by Julius Von Bismark & Santiago Sierra

Maybe they picked a controversial event, figure and subject, but the action didn’t cause much buzz then… because it only affects the cameras nearby, and the people only realize it once they’ve developed their stills… the few who got the NO must have thought Satan was wondering around that day.

The message-infiltrator-device is already 4 years old, and thanks to the recently-opened Madrilian PHotoEspaña festival Gallery Off Limits  is showcasing the wonders of this machine and the evil soul  these two, hidden among the pilgrims of Paraguay, carry around when not praying.

One lesson learned: watch for fulgurators when attending rockstar events from now on… they could be inserting an arguably desired message (or image) in your flashy images. More photos on the noprojection flickr page.

No Projection by Julius Von Bismark & Santiago Sierra (2)
No Projection by Julius Von Bismark & Santiago Sierra (2)
No Projection by Julius Von Bismark & Santiago Sierra (4)
No Projection by Julius Von Bismark & Santiago Sierra (4)
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