”Technolace is a bewitching substance made out of illuminated fibre-optic
cables twiddled into a mesh of flowers and loops and scrolls. The cable ends
form brilliant points of light, as the sources of illumination brighten and
fade, shimmering patterns and rhythms pass over and through the lace,
allowing you to suspend awareness of the mechanics of its manufacture. If
all art aspires to the condition of music, this object has very nearly
cracked it; the tune in question is a cool and clubby English acidambient
hum.”-The Guardian, Rachel Withers.
The construction of Technolace light sculpture is made of transparent
reflective glass / steel plates, aluminium profiles / wood. The lace itself
is made of very thin , transparent optical fibre producing and radiating
light which moves along inside the fibres. The optical fibre is connected to
halogen light projectors, equipped with rolling discs of glass. The lace
seems to change patterns in a slow, pulsating rhythm.
The web-like surface consists of thousands of small hand-made pieces formed
in different shapes, circles and flowers. The work is made in the style of
an old traditional lace pattern made by Finnish women combined with optic
technology of the present time.
”The first time that Hietanen showed Technolace was in a solo show in
Helsinki. On that occasion, it was one of a series of several exhibitions,
in which different artists adressed different aspects of the theme
Conceptualism and Handicraft and Women and Technology. The very title of
Hietanens work was a statement itself, since the words techno and lace
conjure up images of mutually opposed cultures. The Nordic individual
inhabiting a postmodern world lives surrounded by a powerfully technologised
culture, for the globally aware young person the frame of reference for
everyday life is often created by techno music.”- Illuminazione / FRAME
Finnish Fund for Art Exchange, Venice Biennale 1997, cataloque Marja-Terttu
Kivirinta
Variations of Technolace has been shown in different occasions in
exhibitions around europe f.ex. the Venice Biennial 1997 by Canal Grande,
Talvi exhibition at Barbican Centre in London 1997, ARCO Madrid 1999, The
Czech Museum of Fine Arts Prague 1999, Les Champs de la Sculpture 2000
exhibition in Paris at Champs-Élysées 1999, Berlin International Art Fair
2000. In every situation the installation and construction
has been made new depending on the space. Also the context has changed in
different countries.
Les Champs de la Sculpture 2000
Technolace lightsculpture in Paris was made of a select intertwined surface
placed inside a glass and aluminium cube. At the twilight hour when the
lights of the city are turned on it waked up in radiant glimmer. The work
was located at the end of the avenue des Champs-Élysées near the Place de la
Concorde. From there it is possible to see l´Obelisque and further away, La
Tour Eiffel and l´Arc de triophe in the evenings glow. Technolace
lightsculpture joined the landmarks of Paris in thought and view.With
placing my work in a place where you can see the great landmarks of Paris
light up for the night I wanted to empasize the night and perception of it.
Night is not only absence of light, but another vision and experience of environment. During
the daytime one is attracted to the imposing surrounding architecture and
grandness of the avenues. During night time they fade into the shadows and
with light one can bring up things that aren´t normally noticed.
The exhibition Les Champs de la Sculpture 2000 consisted of 52 monumental
sculptures from artists around the world. The sculptures were located along
the parks and walkways of the avenue. During the night all the sculptures
were light up and they formed a sculptural parade along the avenue.
Arcitectural design together with artist: Mikko Summanen / Office of
Architecture and Design, Mikko Heikkinen / Heikkinen-Komonen Architects.
Arcitectural design together with artist: Mikko Summanen / Office of
Architecture and Design, Mikko Heikkinen / Heikkinen-Komonen Architects.
