Jesse Visser presents imposing monumental limited editions: triptychs – of which the largest is 1.65 meters high and 2.30 meters wide – that resemble autonomous art pieces but turn out to be functional lighting designs.
The huge narrative works suggest triptychs with wood-painted panels from a medieval church but are contemporary and daring statements of solid high-polished brass and stainless-steel plates. Triptychs are used in the traditional sense to tell a story. This work, with the Latin title ‘Cogitatio inanis’ (best translated as ‘thoughtless mind’), is only about emptiness, reflection and material.
Behind the folding shutters lie reflective panels with a round circular light or, in the other version, two tube lights that shed and reflect an atmospheric light. In his search for new production techniques and innovative materials, Visser has developed a preference for tactile materials in which the processing of the surface plays a role.
Similar to the anodisation of aluminium, stainless steel and brass are made high-gloss in collaboration with specialized companies. In addition to this intensive finishing technique, detailing in Visser’s work is just as important. For example, for this modern triptych, the designer developed solid turned hinges of brass or stainless steel with which the hatches can be opened. According to the designer, the functional lighting artwork is not finished until a user performs the required action: the opening and closing of the shutters.
