Air

The sound of a wave moves slowly through the space, like a slow whoosh , or deep movement of breath. It is not recorded from the natural world but composed from white noise — like the lines of light we see, what we hear is also an abstraction. Crossing is McCall’s first work using projectors at a 45-degree angle and has evolved from decades of creative experimentation. In 1973, he used a 16mm projector to create Line describing a cone . At the time, cigarette smoke and dust — rather than the water-based haze of Crossing — were vital to the work’s effect, as an initial ‘dot’ of light inched forward slowly to become a curved line, and then a full circle on the wall. At this moment, the ‘cone’ of light emanating from the projector became complete. Line describing a cone was the first of what became known as McCall’s ‘solid light’ sculptures, where the space of the room and bodies of the audience are fully encompassed by the work. He continued exploring the horizontal use of projections, a ‘cinematic’ format as he terms it, before introducing digital projectors, vertically suspended in space, in a more ‘sculptural’ format. Crossing offers a beautiful intersection of all of McCall’s forms. Unfolding through time, it gives audiences the opportunity to occupy the light, pass through it or watch from the darkness. The work is powerful symbol of how we perceive the shared, ever-changing space of potential through which we move. GB Anthony McCall / Crossing 2016 (installation views, GOMA 2016) ‘ Crossing 2016 is powerful symbol of how we perceive the shared, ever-changing space of potential through which we move.’ 191 190 Change Change