Flasher

Flasher finds its inspiration at the crossroads of two festive spaces, in the thrills and visual hypnosis common to fairgrounds and nightclubs. While its form is borrowed directly from stage spotlights, its effect is fundamentally based on the notions of rhythm, repetition, and movement that characterise dynamic light games, a common denominator of these neighbouring universes. Though it’s a single step away from contemporary digital control panels, the object’s concept is based on an entirely mechanical operation, where technique-based craftsmanship works to bring to life the beauty of artifice.

The idiosyncratic twinkling effect results from the randomised rotations of 25 perforated discs placed in front of a 25-light grid. The interactions of the multiple discs forms a pattern of continuous motion that exerts a captivating effect, as fleeting and unexpected flashes of light appear and disappear in vivid chiaroscuro contrast, surprising and titillating the eye.

In this crackling of light, this rapid switching between presence and absence, the poetry and the eternity of the present moment are granted a venue to manifest. The object, with its elementary geometry and monochrome appearance, composed of a succession of high shine aluminium plates, subtly reveals its complex backstage mechanics. Pulleys, belt paths, and bearings make brief cameos, the better to invite wonder, perhaps even vertigo.