Bhédadīpikā - An Illustration of Duality

The concept of Duality has intrigued mankind since the beginning of civilization. This work plays upon several notions of Duality such as Constraint/Freedom, Light/Darkness, Minute/Infinite, Reality/Illusion, Randomness/Intent. The artwork comprises of two objects constrained inside a 1cm³ box: a strip of paper, and a nano-sim card.

The paper strip consists on one side, a 9-step lunar-phases illustration, and on the other side is written the word ‘Moon’ in 24 languages from across the world. The lunar phases are coated with a phosphorescent material: in the presence of light the phases reflect it, and in darkness is emitted light absorbed earlier. The natural uneven surface of the extremely crude phosphorescent substrate gives the impression of craters on the lunar surface as seen from Earth. The 24 words in different languages displaying the word “Moon” are hand-written with a 0.4mm gel-ink pen. In fact, the entire strip is handmade, and without the use of magnifying lenses – challenging the physical limits of the artist’s hand-drawing skills with the tools available. The strip is folded in a zigzag shape, with the width of each “page” increasing towards the center. The Moon phases then fit naturally in the structure, that also results in a tapering shape that snuggly fits in the space not occupied by the nanochip.

In complete contrast, with a capacity of 4Gb, the nanochip (0.8cm x 1.2cm x 0.1cm) metaphorically represents the infinite possibilities of digital space, limited only by imagination. The chip contains animated images of a series of algorithmic art titled “Star Cities/Organised Worlds”. These images are created by randomly generated points, but which are constrained to appear on a path defined by equations of hypotrochoids of various parameters. A hypotrochoid is basically the path traced by a spirograph, and is one of the fundamental curves depicting movement in Nature: from celestial orbits to rolling objects. They instill a sense of harmony in the spectator, as the form is naturally pleasing to the eye. The artist imagines that if intelligent life were able to manipulate the formation of galaxies, it would exploit the humble hypotrochoid for inspiration for harmonious forms. The nanochip has the perfect size to fit diagonally inside the cubic box. The paper strip then would fit either under or over it.

The nanochip would also contain a graphic software that would allow the spectator to create their own designs, with an optimised algorithms. This could be used by the crew of IMMIHS as a recreational tool, and as a point of discussion on the dual nature of things, and thus as a means for engaging in cultural activity. The paper strip can be used as a charm worn around the finger, or as a luminescent sticker for finding objects in the dark – the phosphorescence can last a few hours. The nanochip itself could also be useful for storing data collected during the mission (a larger capacity chip can hold more information).