MICHAEL CANDY: Persistence of Vision
interactive installation
Slovenska cesta (across Zvezda Park), Zvezda Park & Ribji trg, Ljubljana
11. Sept.–8. Oct. 2023 // from 8 pm until sunrise 1.30 am

The autumn extension of this year’s edition of the Lighting Guerrilla festival brings an interactive installation by Australian artist Michael Candy, who is showing work in the country for the first time. The work is a network of eight AI enabled spotlights placed on the streets or walking areas of the city. Disguised as CCTV cameras, the spotlights use AI image recognition to track the movements of civilians and shine a beam of light on them.
The project is a choreography of technology, movement and light, yet the work has more complex thematic undertones exploring the emergence of ‘smart cities’ and the pervasive nature of artificial intelligence. Through the use of light – moving spotlights allude to the stage action, within which a star-lit passer-by unwittingly finds themself.

MICHAEL CANDY (1990, South Africa) graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts from Cranbrook College of Arts Detroit USA. As an artist, he focuses on physical interactive projects, questioning the condition of contemporary technology from an ecological and sociological perspective. In recent years, he has participated in a number of high-profile international artistic manifestations with his innovative projects. In 2015, he was awarded the WRO Prize at the 16th Media Art Biennale in Poland, followed by the Prix Cube in Paris.

This summer, Candy continued his series of Anomalous Anomalies experiments as part of the PIFresidency, organised by the Projekt Atol Institute, and at the end held a workshop on the basics of animatronics.

coproducers: Zavod Projekt Atol, Zavod Kersnikova
sponsor: Javna razsvetljava d. d.