Lamp Kite, 1993, 1000 x 200 x 200 cm, plexiglass, honey, metal, vacuum tubes.
The lamp (or electron tube) kite thematizes the phenomenon of flying or levitation (in the artistic sense of the word, of course). It is an object consisting of a thin sheet of Plexiglas symbolizing a flying kite. Its surface is covered by a layer of crystalized honey, which replicates a circuit board fitted with electron tubes. The lines of honey trails serve as conductors of a weak electric current, which is amplified by the electron tubes connecting these circuits.
The purpose of this electronic circuitry covering the surface of the kite is not only to arouse a sense of energetic tension in the viewer, but above all to entice the ubiquitous insects (especially bees) to participate in the overall impact of this scene.
Lamp Kite, 1993, 1000 x 200 x 200 cm, plexiglass, honey, metal, vacuum tubes, detail.
A large number of bees is able to accumulate a surprisingly strong electrical charge, both by rubbing their wings against gas molecules in the air and by contact with charged objects, which in this case includes the kite. So, quite naturally, there is an increase in electrical voltage, i.e., electronic potential, between the insects and the kite. Bees, for example, can generate an electronic potential of up to 100 volts per square meter in just 20 minutes. After a certain period of time, it is therefore possible to observe a weak electrical spark between the bodies of the insects and the kite.