Westphal Thomas: March 2019

Jakop Barn’s day trip

2019

Video object, 78x55x24/66 cm

HD time-lapse video, aluminum suitcase, two screens 70/40, R.berryPi`s

Edit: Palosaari/Ziegler

In early autumn I had been falling in love with Jakops barn a lofty and tranquil structure that I came upon during a stay at the Kone residence place located in Mynämäki in the Southwest of Finland. During several days I experimented with different options to document the play between interior and changing sunlight with time-lapse cameras. The footage that originated from this study is now on display in form of an opened aluminum travel case. The downer part displays the camera view of the sunbeams slowly advancing on the wooden floorboards while the upper part shows the specks of sunlight penetrating the open panel structure of the open space.

The recorded time encompasses the play of light and shadow happening during six hours and is shown in a sequence of 8 min.

Tectonic sextet

2019

260x170x110

Two chairs, a stool and a table

Concrete cast on steel mesh, video mapped footage

Mapping by: Ilkka Pitkänen

The Work displays individual video footage taking while working to break a bathroom floor due to a water accident. Two jackhammers simultaneous breaking the concrete and revealing step by step the underlying structure.

The footage is than video mapped onto a series of furniture pieces that are made of the very same material. The installation of concrete plates that were molded into steel mesh refers to the working process while elevating the working surface towards a resting place.

The nature of walls

2019

HD video

00:06:23

performers: Marja Patrikainen &Thomas Westphal

camera: Thomas Westphal

edit and composition: Sebastian Ziegler

The video is compost of seven different videos displaying the demolition of walls. Each individual wall had been pre painted with chroma green paint. This allowed me to designate these areas in the editing process to be transparent. I layered the individual footage behind each other. In the process of overlapping breaking activity the video creates a frenzy of different compositions.

Paradigm shift

Paradigm shift

2019

HD video 3:33 min

Two channel video installation,

The video shows a dense clowd of black and white shapes that slowly dance across the walls and slowly desolve into single particels. The footage was shot while working with a jackhammer on an old bath tub. The white surface is the emalie and the black colour comes from the iron oxide. What was in the making a earsplitting brutal exercise turned into a mesmerizing hypnotic dance.

Vanishing Point

Vanishing point

2019

HD video, duration 00:06:42

In the video I had to remove a big wall section between to offices. By just placing camera and blue light in one of these rooms and starting the breaking job this video was created. I have done similar works by painting walls with chromatic green to remove a background from the subject of a photo or video, allowing separately filmed background footage or a static image to be inserted into the scene.

This one I like because of its simplicity and powerful visual feel.

Wax on Wax off

2019

2 channel video

I was building a set of machines in my studio that are inspired by early methods of mechanical movements and transition. These machines are idling ahead and performing tirelessly repeating motions.

I took video of this set up and projected it here on the gallery wall. The wall was painted black but during the opening I painted certain areas to drive these shy creatures in the light.

Delete all duplicates

2019

Video object

Table, projection, screws

190x120x50 cm

I got this idea for this work while preparing for a studio visit of 28 students from the Art academy. I was mend to let the students see how artist work in practice and to see different working methods. It’s a fact that many ideas originate from very banal activities such as sorting through material like a big box of screws that had to be sorted out. I created a setting to record this video and had everybody help with the sorting. This was done in 8 min. and interesting footage was created.

The video is projected on a table with the exact measurements of the original sorting area.

Extension

Extension

2019
HD video
Duration 00:08:21

The video has been taking in the late autumn in the marina in Lapland. Against a romantic evening setting we can observe construction machines building a wave breaker. On an absurdly small path of piled up stones the machines tireless advance their path into the sea.