Barbara Hammann
«New Wave»

The 'destroyed' images become a magical streak of light. The work is a playful meditation on magnetism, the laws of attraction and repulsion, of relationship and manipulation. And an answer to Paik's 'Zen for TV', although I didn't know his question before.
Using the magnetic iron pendulum swinging above it, the visitor can electromagnetically divert the streak of light that is compressed to a narrow line; this produces a gently modulated wave motion that slows and weakens as the pendulum loses force to friction. Over the years, the work has changed, partly due to my reaction to the varying exhibitiion spaces. The diversion of the streak of light depends on the height of the room, which determines the pendulum's radius of oscillation. The pendulum is closest to the monitor surface in the middle monitor, receding more and more toward the margins. If a certain distance is exceeded, the magnetic force of the pendulum is no longer strong enough to move the streak of light.

Barbara Hammann