CIRCA is a light sculpture that represents the circannual cycle of light levels on earth’s surface in southern England. It is divided into twelve physical elements, circles, that each represent one month of the year. The total circumference of each circle represents a twenty four hour day, the amount of daylight hours are displayed through the percentage of the circumference that is lit up. Light is the primary zeitgeber (time-giver) and is therefore the most responsible factor for setting endogenous clocks in plant, animal life and humans. The arrangement of circles is also used to make the invisible oscillations and feedback loops that occur on a cellular level visible to the human eye. These mechanisms are the basis for the circadian clock that governs the behaviour of plants and mammal species. The resulting installation resembles a three dimensional clock, where time and light can be seen corkscrewing away into the distance.
Limbic Cinema | CIRCA | 2018 | The installation was produced with the support of Scientist Anne Visscher at Kew Gardens as part of the Shrinking Space curated event The Wonder Project at Wakehurst Gardens