V1:S1:0NS

Visions passing through a slot of stone, quiet moments glowing with light, turned upside down and reflected in a trap of trapezoid. Shadows of the past, glimmers of the future, the trails of history and the potential of what’s to come marked in glass, the Saudi identity frozen in time. Artist Sultan bin Fahd explores themes of national identity and temporal phases as expressed by light in new and exciting forms with V1:S1:0NS, an art installation that embraces a retro-futuristic bent and channels classic science fiction. Unlike most of his other works, V1:S1:0NS diverges in that its structure won’t be as readily available for exploration by general audiences; the trapezoidal structure won’t be open for entrance and walking around, rather viewers will be able to experience the work through a slit shining a beacon of light. The interior of the structure holds in it stained glass shapes symbolically resonant to Saudi cultural identity, hung underneath the slit and reflected outwardly to the audience through a labyrinth of mirrors, engaging the imagination with a blossom of colour and glittering lights. This, in effect, seeks to replicate how optical functions work, drawing on the ways in which the eyes process light in the reception of images.