My dear friend, composer, artist and pianist, Belma, was just finishing her latest conceptual art project called “Vortex” when she came to see me regarding the stage design for her Sci-Fi masterpiece called “Hibernation” (link to the artist page). “Hibernation” was one of the product modules that was challenging audience perception of time and reality, guiding them visually through different states of awareness.
The synopsis placed a spaceship commander in the year 2053 on a journey across the Universe, carrying the cargo of hibernating humans in cryogenic chambers. My task was to create the mockups of the chambers and the commander’s control console.
Belma and I agreed on the design and I decided to create a wooden template.
With the help of a friend with a background in boat building, we decided to create the chambers out of fiberglass resin, coating the mold with an appropriate separator each time.
Once applied and rolled over with polyester resin, the fiberglass hardens and can be (sometimes not so easily) separated from the wooden mold. The result is a rigid, stackable, plastic form that can be cut, sanded and painted.
We put a 1mm thick PVC foil in place of a looking glass and fastened it in with 20 large screws, giving it a “submarinish” look.
The control panel was made out of wood and equipped with lights that would provide background lighting for the matte control board.
Blue lights and smoke machines were inserted into each chamber. When the light was on, the audience could see the upper body of a mannequin placed inside.
Using a switch on a control panel, Belma could power the lighting tubes connecting the chambers to the central unit.
The artist performed in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Austria.
