Horror Vacui
Project details
- Year
- 2024
- Programme
- Bachelor – Product Design
- Practices
- Autonomous Practices
- Minor
- Critical Studies
Memory and sensory experiences shape our identities and perceptions in profound ways. From childhood, I have navigated through life with the burden of memory deficiencies, often wrestling with feelings of inadequacy and fear of forgetting things, people, and places. This personal experience extends beyond memory challenges. When I was 17 I damaged my hearing at a concert, and due to this, I became temporarily deaf in my left ear. Subsequently leading to the onset of tinnitus – a condition characterized by the perception of sound in the absence of external stimuli.
This experience influenced me a lot as I started to fear silence/emptiness and became eager to be surrounded by crowded places.
“Horror Vacui“ is a term in Latin that means “fear of empty space”. The concept behind this specific style of art emerged from the idea of the laws of nature and physics where the space needs to be filled.
Beyond its visual aspects, my interest delves into the profound emotional experiences evoked by the fear of emptiness.
My installation serves as a reflection of my state of mind. It integrates both visual and auditory components to convey the essence of Horror Vacui. Despite its negative connotations, I view Horror Vacui as a catalyst for creation rather than a burden.
The visual component represents my memories. Using analog photos, I crafted a collage translated onto clay through techniques such as screen printing, laser cutting, extruding, or hand engravings. These tiles draw inspiration from damaged fresco paintings, bridging the past with the modern world. The tiles are accompanied by a fabric decorated with a collage print.
The sound takes you on a journey to experience how it feels to have tinnitus. The tinnitus sound intertwines with Bedřich Smetana’s symphonic poem, “Vltava,” from his composition “My Fatherland.” The composition describes Vltava’s course and his love for his homeland. Smetana faced the biggest fear a composer could – he became deaf. However, that did not stop him, and he managed to create his biggest masterpiece ‘My Fatherland’.
Through this fusion of sound, I aim to offer viewers a profound and unique insight into the fear of empty space, the constant presence of sounds, and the absence of silence.
