Two Origins

Relational Architecture 7

In this intervention the emblematic Place du Capitole in Toulouse was transformed by a projection of The Book of Two Origins, a 13th-century heretical manuscript compiling the theological beliefs of the dualist cathars. Once a vibrant community in several regions of Europe, the believers in the two origins of the Universe were virtually annihilated by the brutal crusades that gave birth to the Inquisition and France's expansion. The texts are illegible since they are projected overlapping each other on the same façade from two distant projectors; only when passers-by block one text with their bodies is it possible to read the other text inside their shadow.

Two Origins attempts to connect disparate planes of experience, inviting people to discover texts that have been covered-up by history and intolerance.

References for this work include research into the "minor histories" that characterise European trends of pluralism and dissent.

General info

Spanish name:
Dos Principios
Year of creation:
2002
Technique:
four 7kW Xenon projectors with robotic scrollers, 800 Duraclear transparencies and mirrors
Dimensions:
projection surface was 800 square meters
Keywords:
interactive, site-specific, shadows, projection, robotic, outdoor

Exhibitions


Credits

  • Programming: Gael Picquet
  • Production: Jennifer Laughlin
  • Commissioned by: Printemps de Septembre Festival 2002 for the Place du Capitole in Toulouse

Bibliography