M HKA Ensembles

Installation, 18 x (40 x 50 cm).

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. BK007672).

He is mostly known for his video constructions. In the beginning he used video to document and preserve his projects, but from 1977 he integrated this medium in his installations. The dialogue between illusion and appearance remained his main concern. The video constructions consisted of geometrical surfaces installed or painted in a space that was surveyed by a camera. The resulting video images were then shown in the same space. Usually the camera was installed in such a way that all the elements together would form one geometric figure. When viewers moved through these spaces they could observe themselves on the screen between the surfaces, and thereby analyse the real and illusory relations between the forms present. The electronic image functions as a magic device for manipulating appearances and real presences. Viewers understand the treacherous nature of the video image, but also their own behavioural patterns. The role of the observing subject turns into that of the acting subject. Circle fits into Schwartz’s series of video constructions. The original setup is not reconstructed, but instead documented in photographic screenshots that become an integral part of the project.