Marquee, 2020

Marquee consists of a wide L-shaped corpus. Its front is made of a curved semiopaque acrylic panel that comprises 231 lights bulbs and 12 customized neon tubes. A separate drawer-element is installed inside the acrylic corpus, providing a structure for a 46-meter LED tape in 2 different white tones. The lights flicker alternatively according to a sequence conceived by the artist and controlled by a DMX recorder.

Marquee is hanging from the ceiling with four opaque acrylic chains. The wiring cables are left visible and loose on the floor, evoking the computer brain of a science fiction machine. The humming and crackling sounds that accompany the movement of the lights reinforce the impression of Marquee as an animated, communicating (or even breathing) being.

Produced by four transducers amplifying the electrical current running through the wires attached to the Marquee like tentacles, the sound recalls buzzing neon tubes, crackling fireworks, and reverberating bass. To produce these vibrations, the transducers must be fixed to a resonating surface. For Parreno's exhibition at Esther Schipper, they are placed on three glass panels hanging from the ceiling in front of the work. Made of security glass, the panels have a two-way mirror finish that reflect the Marquee.