No History, 2005
Automated mirror sculpture (stainless steel mirrors, electrical motors) 472.4 x 863.6 x 241.3 cm Installation view: Ultraworld, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris / ARC, 2005 Photo: Marc Domage / Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris / ARC, 2005
Photo: Marcos Morilla
Half way between a kaleidoscope and a labyrinth, No History consists of hundreds of moving hexagonal mirrors, casting reflections in a random order. From the outside, the surface of the rectangular structure bears a pattern of hexagonal shapes, some of which echo its surroundings, while other dull metallic ones break the continuum of that reflection. Walking into the room, one finds that the same hexagonal shape serves as pattern for two facing walls of motorized mirrors in constant slow movement, deconstructing and reconfiguring the space, as well as the image of the visitors, which is fragmented into those multiple planes.
Aitken is best known for his large-scale multi-channel video tales, which tend to offer multiple perspectives on a single narrative structure as they have no beginning and no end. With No History, the protagonists are the visitors, and the “film” is in real time, as the mirrors constantly reconfigure their perception of the space and their reflected image.
