Charlotte Becket’s kinetic sculptures explore the interplay of the analogue and digital world – using mechanical methods and physical materials to create surfaces that mimic what we find in electronic displays. For her installation at 125 Maiden Lane, Interference, Becket draws on the optical effect of moiré patterns that can be unintentionally produced in digital imagery, print, or video. This type of visual distortion occurs when two semitransparent, patterned layers are misaligned and pass over each other – the slight offset error creates an illusion of movement.

Interference takes over the atrium space with three brightly colored monolithic sculptures that grow from the platform, rising to eleven feet tall. The exterior of the works is covered in layers of patterned “skins” that create a surface that seemingly moves as the eye tries to register and focus. Pushing the hallucinogenic effect further, Becket inserts mechanical elements inside the sculptures which slowly and rhythmically move the surface of the piece to create a physically and visually living piece.

As Becket describes, “This work explores the illusionistic potential of physical materials, the translation between digital and analogue processes, and the conceptual implications of a visually erratic composition, the result of a minor error in calibration. In their construction, these works physically replicate digital information distortion, misrepresentation, and miscommunication.”

Charlotte Becket Interference is curated by Tessa Ferreyros with Tara Oluwafemi and sponsored by Time Equities Inc. (TEI) Art-in-Buildings. TEI is committed to enriching the experience of our properties through the Art-in-Buildings Program, an innovative approach that brings contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists to non-traditional exhibition spaces in the interest of promoting artists, expanding the audience for art, and creating a more interesting environment for our building occupants, residents, and guests.

Image: Charlotte Beckett, detail of Interference, 2023. Courtesy the artist.

Institution

Time Equities Inc. Art-in-Buildings

Site

125 Maiden Lane

New York, New York 10038

Artist

Charlotte Becket

Date

March 13-November 12, 2023