Aesthetic of Conjunction

Benjamin Chang

When looking for inspiration regarding aesthetics, I searched for artists I enjoy. Olafur Eliasson is such an artist that I find great inspiration from. Eliasson specializes in creating works of art that engage with the audience via a sense of space and feeling. Eliasson Exhibitions yield marvelous and mysterious works that play with the spirit and gives the audience a sense of reality. His work derives upon one central principle; This principle being ‘conjunction’, a place where two things merge together to become something else. This work is fascinating to me due to its unique take on reality and how we perceive the world in which we embrace. The visual space between us and everything else is a neglected reality that is often taken for granted. The work Eliasson presents challenges this notion by presenting our surroundings in a new light, granting us a moment to consider what is actually around us. In a journal published for the ‘Logic of light technology and the human connection, Eliasson’s work is broken down to explore this concept of conjunction. “A conjunction does not imply a value judgement, nor does it weight its relata (group of related things) on one or on its other pole. It is rather the independence of both related that gives a conjunction the power to discover something new in itself by way of the other,” (Miriam Shuab,1967). The work focuses on the relationship of connection between the human physiological perception of space, and the forceful strategic use of space. The aim is to create an awareness to a user, so they may feel more consciously present with their surroundings. Eliasson focus’s primarly on four mechanisms for turning atomized perceptions into impressions and ideas connected to each other. The first mechanism being “Spontaneous, Arbitrary, Active”. The second being ”Associatively”,focusing on the imagination is indebted to the autonomous power of the idea. The third mechanism being, “Constant Repetition”, focusing on solidifying habitual and conventional connections. And finally the fourth mechanism “No Casual Connection”, this being the most important notion; the beauty of not having a reason to connect but connect just because, this mechanism is open to unknown possibilities without hesitations.

Eliasson also focuses on the idea of using ‘Mise En Scene’, or the arrangement of scenery in a setting. By manipulating the lighting in a given room, our perceptions of how we should view things becomes skewed. This alteration gives users a space to explore their minds or as Eliasson describes it as freeing one from an instrumental perception. From this principle, it can be noted that creating skepticism in our connection/perception to reality can reconstruct our view of what we know. This aesthetic I believe holds a mystical element, in it I find interest in the discovery of new things. In summary, conjunction yields an interesting potential for changing the way we look at things, and in this change the way we live.