MY EYES WERE ON FIRE AND YOU KNOW WHY
The project My eyes were on fire and you know why was born out of a collaboration with Lahti University of Applied Sciences, FI. Following a residency in March 2015 at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Lahti, the project culminated in two distinct phases: a solo exhibition at Fellmannia Gallery and, shortly after, a special opening of the factory where I installed the work Channeling Residual Forces.
The residency was a profoundly emotional experience, deeply connected to the space in which I was working. The factory, entirely empty, embodied a sense of absence. Every minor movement echoed deeply, making me feel as though I were constantly immersed in a fluid; it was as if space and time shared a unique, peculiar structure. For an entire month, I listened and searched within that void, discovering small objects, factory scraps, and perfectly preserved dead insects. As I spent time observing these remnants, it felt as though they emitted residual vibrations—despite being mere fragments, they seemed to radiate a universal essence.
The initial concept was to unveil these residual forces, allowing them to be seen by others.
As the project evolved, it became increasingly complex. While working in the factory, I created a series of paintings and an installation.
The paintings displayed in the gallery, removed from their original context, evoke a sense of estrangement, transporting viewers into an atmosphere, a vision. In contrast, the installation establishes a more tangible relationship with the factory space, inviting the viewer’s inquisitive gaze to fully immerse in the experience.
The installation is composed of three distinct elements. At its center are two structures, crafted from the drawers of an old desk, which I transformed into energy channelers. These are essentially display cases containing a series of found objects, visible through special lenses that alter and focus the viewer’s perception, partially magnifying and diffracting the light.
Additionally, a video was created using the same special lenses, capturing slow, circular movements of the camera through the factory’s architecture, as well as close-ups of some of the discovered objects.
Finally, a small sculpture serves as a counterpoint, displaying the drawings that inspired the main painting—the triptych My eyes were on Fire and you know why, the work that also lends its name to the entire project.
Here a link to the video documentation.
back