The Lights of Civilization

This is a shadow sculpture made for an art competition which the Public Electricity Company run and I called it “The Lights of Civilization”.

I believe that this artwork fits with the Public Electricity Company philosophy regarding the competition and that is why I decided to participate in it.

Focusing on the elements of the work, I start with light. Without artificial lighting, the construction of this work would be impossible, as would its viewing. So, I chose the light from an old Public Electricity Company “electricity meter”.

Symbolically, cables leave the lighting point and reach the sculpture. For the construction of the sculpture, I used the colors of the Public Electricity Company logo (red and blue) as well as either materials that refer to the company, such as the ceramic insulator or wich are inextricably linked to it, such as the light fixture.

The connection with everyday life is made with an image inside the sculpture, which shows a house with a lit window and a figure inside it, as well as with the Public Electricity Company column that illuminates the outside of the house.

Observing the sculpture, we cannot understand its form. However, the shadow of the sculpture comes to interpret it and make the connection between the company and the culture of our country.

In the shadow, therefore, the Parthenon is depicted, illuminated, with the starry sky in the background. Next to the Parthenon there is the shadow of the lamp that comes to explain the name of the sculpture “The Lights of Culture”.