“Halo”, photo credit: Karolina Halatek
The essence of the work comes from the imaginary super-natural sensation of clarity, light and extended space. The circular-shaped immersive installation is designed for a personal experience. An individual viewer while interacting with the work has the possibility to discover a new dimension of own presence in the contemplative, pure and abstract environment.
Title of the work refers to the natural optical phenomena seen around the sun or moon, produced by light in the interaction of ice crystals. The first references of the atmospheric phenomenon can be found in a section of the “Official History of the Chin Dynasty” (Chin Shu) from 637, on the “Ten Haloes”, giving technical terms for 26 solar halos. In the exhibition, the place of the celestial body is given to the art viewer, who becomes a central part of the piece.
Karolina Halatek, born in Poland, studied Design for Performance at the University of the Arts London, Great Britain, Fine Arts at the Universität der Künste Berlin, Germany and Media Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw / Poland. During studies in Berlin, she participated in workshops at the Institut für Raumexperimente run by Olafur Eliasson. Using light as the central medium in her work, Karolina Halatek creates experiential site-specific spaces that incorporate visual, architectural and sculptural elements. Seeing her work primarily as a catalyst for experience, Karolina creates installations that have strong experiential and immersive characteristics, often the result of collaborations with quantum physicists, founders of the superstring theory (Leonard Susskind, Roger Penrose) and precision mechanical engineers. Karolina is interested in experiences that extend to the edge of human knowledge, seeking a visual language to evoke feelings and emotions of virtually unknown phenomena.
Karolina Halatek received the Minister’s Scholarship for Fine Arts from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in Poland, a London residency managed by Acme Studios International Residencies Programme in collaboration with Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw,, artist residency at CEC Artslink NYC and Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, Missouri, ARIE International Artist Residency Program at A4 Museum, Chengdu, China. Karolina Halatek was a fellow through the »New Networks« project, a cooperation of Akademie Schloss Solitude and the Center for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw, with financial support by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw. In cooperation with Kulturregion Stuttgart and the city of Gerlingen, Karolina Halatek participated in the Lichkunstfestival »Aufstiege« of Kulturregion Stuttgart during her stay at Akademie Schloss Solitude.
Her Scanner Room Video was broadcasted into outer space at the MONA FOMA Festival held by the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart/Tasmania.