Diptyque(9)

Autumn 2007
MDF panels (medium-density fibreboard)
Exhibition venue: Kunsthalle, Basel, Switzerland
Exhibition date: Autumn 2007
Overall dimensions: 281.3 × 551.7 × 1.6 cm
Element dimensions: 512 × (14 × 14 × 1.6 cm)
Photography: Jean-Philippe Senn, Strasbourg, France

Diptyque^X is a wall composition made up of a (in)finite number of elements; this renders its exhibition problematic, since infinity is, by nature, impossible to fully display. Therefore, what is shown will always be a sample reflecting the unlimited character of the work.

As the name suggests, the piece is a work in two parts—a diptych. It is this diptych quality that is subject to infinity.

Diptyque^X consists of elements that duplicate exponentially and arrange themselves according to the available exhibition space. Each duplication corresponds to a new level, a new stage. Here is the detailed mechanism:

Diptyque^X begins simply with a diptych of two square elements (stage #1 = 1 × 2 squares = diptych1), beside which is placed its duplicate (stage #2 = 2 × 2 squares = diptych2). This new diptych is then itself duplicated, creating a sort of complex of eight elements (stage #3 = 2 × 2 × 2 squares = diptych3), and so forth.

It is noticeable that the voids—defined by the material—are what truly coordinate the various diptychs (while the square elements remain unchanged). These gaps grow in a mathematically coherent manner each time a new level is added (doubling the number of elements). Each spacing is multiplied by a factor of 1.25, giving rise to a new interval, which is then multiplied by the same factor with the addition of the next level: the first interval is 2 cm; the second 2.5 cm; the third 3.125 cm; the fourth 3.9 cm; and so on.

This visual arrangement makes it possible to distinguish the individual diptychs within this network of intervals. Without these intervals, DiptyqueX would more closely resemble a polyptych of squares, an anonymous grid.

Ultimately, the size of the wall is the parameter that determines which diptych is exhibited—that is, the level of DiptyqueX to which the exhibition is confined. In this respect, the wall governs the work.

Here are some dimensions for Diptyque^X:

Level #02: 30.5 × 30 cm
Level #03: 30.5 × 63.125 cm
Level #04: 64.9 × 63.125 cm
Level #05: 64.9 × 131.13 cm
Level #06: 135.9 × 131.13 cm
Level #07: 135.9 × 269.9 cm
Level #08: 281.33 × 269.9 cm
Level #09: 281.33 × 551.7 cm
Level #10: 577.56 × 551.7 cm
Level #11: 577.56 × 1122.02 cm
Level #12: 1178.4 × 1122.02 cm
Level #13: 1178.4 × 2273.14 cm

Autumn 2007
MDF panels (medium-density fibreboard)
Overall dimensions: 281.3 × 551.7 × 1.6 cm
Element dimensions: 512 × (14 × 14 × 1.6 cm)
Photography: Jean-Philippe Senn, Strasbourg, France

Diptyque(9)

DiptyqueX : Diptyque9

Diptyque^X : Diptyque⁹