Proteus - Martin Sati

Proteus

Study on the construction of the figure from steel pieces painted red.

The intention is not to draw a head or represent it precisely. What is interesting is understanding the conditions needed for our brain to begin recognising a figure as a head.

Each piece on its own carries little meaning. They are curves, voids, cuts and profiles with no obvious function. When the pieces are assembled, something recognisable begins to appear.

The figure is not really contained in any one of the pieces. It emerges from the relationships between them, from the empty spaces and from the way we interpret them. The head appears almost as an event: a moment in which several independent forms suddenly begin to become a single thing.

The piece is constructed from die-cut steel sheets, hand-painted in red. Its dimensions are adapted to the site in order to integrate the piece into its surroundings.