An installation about the tension between control and dependency. The light symbolises the influence we believe we have, while simultaneously following our movements and subtly steering our actions. Proximity and distance determine how much power you experience — but never fully possess.
Smart lights are controlled through apps, networks and algorithms. What was once tangible and predictable is now prone to failure and out of reach. In this work I explore that shift — from intuitive certainty to the illusion of control. A pulsing light slows and accelerates, much like our attempts to hold on to what keeps slipping away. Switches seem to offer control, but respond randomly, or not at all.
Not a solution, but an exposure. We want to be in control, yet rarely pause to consider where we already are. The work makes felt how we keep trying to steer what is already enough — something as simple as turning off a light — and in doing so get caught in our own need to control.
Developed as graduation work at ArtEZ University of the Arts.
